[2011 original review] Joan Didion is certainly perfect at depicting depressed, bleak subjects. There's something I love about books that are the opposite of uplifting, and perhaps that's the reason I love Didion.

The book was a fast read and though I hear it most often talked about when someone mentions her fiction, I still liked Run River more. But, it still warranted another five-star rating. The prose here is outstanding; concise and brilliant as always with Didion.

[2017 re-read] Ugh, I forgot how good Didion is at stringing a small group of words together that can cut you deep in seconds. The book is so quick to read and yet so heavy, and each brilliantly configured sentence serves to weigh down the brevity. Loved this much more upon second reading... feel I should pick this up every year. Written so long ago and the way men treat women: so much the same.