"I know why we try to keep the dead alive: we try to keep them alive in order to keep them with us. I also know that if we are to live ourselves there comes a point at which we must relinquish the dead, let them go, keep them dead. Let them become the photograph on the table. Let them become the name on the trust accounts. Let go of them in the water. Knowing this, does not make it easier to let go of him in the water."

I liked it, but I did not LOVE it. Didion’s writing style is without a doubt remarkable. She has a way with words that not many writers have and manages to put so much meaning into very few pages. And who knows, maybe, in a few decades (hopefully not sooner), when I too, have lost someone I love, I will turn to this again and find solace in her words. For now, it remains a beautiful book, but not one that swept me off my feet.