A review by emilycm
Play It as It Lays by Joan Didion

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

this was everything i could have wanted it to be and more. and instant new favorite in life and of didion's work. she gets the heat of california so well, and i felt that this novel elevated that intensity in the heat in the dynamics between her characters even more than in her essays. maria was a tricky character, but after a few chapters, i was hooked into who she was and what the game she was playing was. the secondary characters (of which i think california itself acts as a character in this and all of didion's work) too got me intrigued, and i thought their complexities to be chilling. i can see why this leaves people with mixed feelings, but for me, it was the right amount of ambiguity and tension that i felt committed. this is so raw in its nature, and it comes at you full force if you let it. i really loved this, and i'm still digesting all my feelings, but this...this was delicious.
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