BLUE NIGHTS

Kimberly Farr finds a voice for Didion that reflects a sense of detachment from the events of her daughter’s life and, in particular, her daughter’s illness and death. Didion talks about the places they traveled and lived and the celebrities they spent their time with when her daughter was young. Didion’s reflections on her daughter and their relationship are an examination of her own difficulties adjusting to growing older, losing her husband (the subject of THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING), and losing a child. Running throughout the book is a subtext of despair regarding her own mortality. Farr’s narration is haunting, but she keeps the sober tone of the book at a distance; thus, it does not overwhelm. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]