Submitted by Tom Wharton, Mar 28, 2007 13:56

I have to confess that I am not the big admirer of Ms. Didion that my friends are. Because of that, I'm not as disappointed with this book as they are. Writers (I'm not one) write, and in the case of someone like Didion, they write about what's happening around and to them. If their style and insight fit the material, and have resonance with an audience, they connect with people. In this case, I think the material, albeit her own life, does not. The cold, disconnected literary style for which she is admired amplifies the astonishing lack of insight or wisdom she seems to have gotten from these shattering experiences. Her big insight? Life changes in an instant. Anyone who has experienced loss in their life greater than the family dog knows that. And, I think this is at the bottom of what seems to me to be a surprising amount of vitriolic comment about her book. Her "fans" expect more from her and are disappointed that one of their literary heros hasn't more to say about one of life's most important experiences.

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