the book critic Michiko Kakutani declared in
The New York Times in 1979. Born in Sacramento to a family that proudly traced its heritage to 19th century settlers, Didion has become inseparable from California and the West. Plenty of readers continue to take Kakutani’s claim at face value, even though Didion has resided in New York City for decades. Didion’s novels and nonfiction, and her chic brand of California cool, are still lauded as an alternative to the masculine myth of the frontier.
Didion, who is 86, hasn’t published a book of new work in nearly a decade. Her latest,