Blue Nights

Blue Nights, by Joan Didion
 
Two of the most life-challenging situations an individual can experience, the death of a child and the aging process, are very movingly and eloquently written about in Joan Didion's newest book, Blue Nights. Blue Nights could be considered a sequel to Didion's Year of Magical Thinking, which detailed her life in the aftermath of the death of her husband, the writer John Dunne and the beginning of her daughter, and only child, Quintana's terminal illness. Didion randomly reflects on various aspects of Quintana's life, including her adoption, upbringing, and their mother/daughter relationship. As she has turned 75 while writing the book, Didion also writes about various illnesses and physical complications which begin to plague her and truly demonstrate in real terms to her that she is indeed aging. Though this may sound like elements of a depressing book, Blue Nights is so well constructed and beautifully written that it becomes an affirmation of the human ability to handle the most emotionally daunting situations. Blues Nights might be best enjoyed after reading Year of Magical Thinking, a title also held by the Greenwich Library. Blue Nights is highly recommended!
-Roy