Ouchie ouchie ouch ouch.

I think a lot about those cozy internet doodles about how grief doesn't get smaller but instead that you grow around it. I found this book an interesting depiction of what those growing pains entail, especially when the grief hits so suddenly and so fiercely.

Joan Didion, acclaimed author at the time of writing this memoir, lost her husband suddenly to a heart attack (caused by the infamous "widow maker") while her daughter was clinging to life in the ICU. Didion oozes financial comfort, higher education, and privilege afforded to the upper classes of New York City - and yet her writing about grief and its trauma carries an interesting relatability. She emphasizes the differences between grief and mourning, talks about the ridiculous forms of magical thinking the ones left behind engage in (hence the title), and comes across as both detached from and overwhelmed by the experience and its aftermath.

This was my first Didion and this book has made me look forward to reading more of her writing. Recommended if you think you would enjoy reading about a socialite losing what money can't buy (with a voice not unlike Schitt's Creek's Moira Rose) and seek out sad autobiographies. The audiobook contains music at the closing of chapters, which is an additional nice touch. 4 stars.