I listened to this as an audiobook, and at just 5 hours it feels almost more like a long essay than a full length book. Anyone picking it up probably already knows that it is a meditation on grief, and a review of the literature on grief and mourning. I found myself reacting to it more intellectually than emotionally, but I have a feeling it's something I'll be thinking about for a long time. Didion's writing is graceful, clear and very personal- especially hearing it read, it felt like a long passage from her journal or diary.