Joan Didion’s Books Should Have Been Enough

Joan Didion’s raw, unfiltered letters to her husband during his illness—collected in *Notes to John*—contrast sharply with her polished memoirs like *The Year of Magical Thinking*. The essay argues that while the letters are emotionally charged, they lack the artistic precision found in her novels, raising questions about where art ends and personal expression begins. It also explores how Didion’s public persona as a detached writer clashes with the vulnerable self revealed in these intimate notes, ultimately questioning whether the letters deepen our understanding of her or simply reinforce her myth.