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The Year of Magical Thinking


Synopsis


Introducing the Collins Modern Classics, a series featuring some of the most significant books of recent times, books that shed light on the human experience - classics which will endure for generations to come.

A single person is missing for you, and the whole world is empty

John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion saw their daughter fall ill. At first they thought it was flu, then she was placed on life support. Days later, the Dunnes were sitting down to dinner when John suffered a massive and fatal coronary.

This powerful book is Didion's 'attempt to make sense of the weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness'. The result is a personal yet universal portrait of marriage and life, in good times and bad, from one of the defining voices of American literature.

'Beautiful and devastating … Didion has always been a precise, humane and meticulously truthful writer, but on the subject of death she becomes essential' Zadie Smith

Summary

Chapter 1: Summer

* Summary: Author Joan Didion recounts the surreal summer following her husband, John Gregory Dunne's sudden death from a heart attack. She describes feeling disoriented and lost, grappling with a reality that no longer made sense.
* Real Example: Didion describes her struggle to comprehend the reality of her husband's absence: "It was going to be the summer that he did not exist."

Chapter 2: Fall

* Summary: Didion's grief intensifies as the season progresses. She experiences insomnia, anxiety, and a sense of alienation from her surroundings. She begins to question her own sanity and wonders if she can survive without her husband.
* Real Example: Didion writes about her preoccupation with the thought of her husband's absence: "I could not imagine him not being here."

Chapter 3: Winter

* Summary: Didion's grief recedes slightly as she finds solace in her work and the support of friends. However, she still struggles with the realization that her life will never be the same.
* Real Example: Didion recounts a time when she felt a momentary sense of comfort in her husband's absence: "I went for a walk in the park, and for a few minutes, I felt almost happy."

Chapter 4: Spring

* Summary: As the year passes, Didion grapples with the complexities of memory and loss. She begins to accept her husband's absence while still holding onto the memories of their shared life.
* Real Example: Didion shares a poignant memory of her husband: "He could always make me laugh, even when I didn't think I could laugh again."

Chapter 5: The Wheel

* Summary: Didion reflects on the cyclical nature of grief and the idea that time does not heal all wounds. She acknowledges that she will always carry her husband's absence with her, but she also finds ways to move forward.
* Real Example: Didion writes about the recurring dream she has about her husband's return: "I dream of him all the time, but it's always the same dream. He comes back to me, and we're holding hands."

Chapter 6: A Year

* Summary: Didion reflects on the year that has passed and the ways in which she has changed. She acknowledges that she is still grieving, but she is also embracing the future.
* Real Example: Didion ends the book with a hopeful note: "Life has changed, but life goes on."