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The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion
Alfred A. Knopf
ISBN 1-4000-4314-X
Published October 2005 - Hardcover - 232 pages - $23.95

Dealing with the death of a loved one is never easy, and I would think, it's reasonable to think they'll come back.  Acceptance is not easy.  Author Joan Didion's story is the one of the death of her husband of 40 years as well as dealing with her daughter's illness.  It's her personal take on marriage, children, and life - things most of us experience - and then the suddenness of it all being abruptly ended and taken away from us.  Ms. Didion's dignified account of her personal and private grief is a beautiful one, albeit very sad and life-changing.  She recalls their lives together, things they saw and did, their travels, ups and downs, and how within days, tragedy had befallen them, and then again with her daughter's ongoing illness just five months after she got married.  Didion conscientiously digs into medical books in an attempt to better understand what her daughter was going through and what the doctors were up against.  We all go through loss in one form or another but not everyone knows how to deal with it.  Taking notes from others' experiences will surely help ease the burden of death and permanent separation for us.  She didn't say how her daughter was doing after she got out of hospital.
Conclusion - Very worthwhile.