"The Year of Magical Thinking," by Joan Didion

Non-fiction, 2005

An account of Joan Didion's coping and mourning the death of her husband at a time when their daughter was also perilously ill. Didion's mixture of terror and bemusement when negotiating every day events and reminders feels detached at times until there's a crack in the narrative action or town, which suddenly brings the tragedy into sharp focus. This isn't a book with a big message or purpose, but its focus and very exact language give it a poise and sincerity and allows the reader to connect and project, to Didion and to wider experiences of loss.

"Slouching Towards Bethlehem," by Joan Didion

Non-fiction, 1968

New Journalism without quite the crushing egotism and boorishness of either Hunter S Thompson or Tom Wolfe, focusing around a piece describing, in human terms, the human wreckage around Haight-Ashbury in the Summer of Love. This, and other pieces, are often wonderfully written, mixing an air of despair with one of nonchalance and painting an America roiling and clashing with itself and in no way showing any kind of social decorum. Refreshing change from the over-eulogising efforts of others, but still reportage of and within the moment.