A review by alisarae
Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
It's incredible how fresh these essays felt, 60 years on. Didion's various attempts at distilling and communicating the California spirit, much closer to Californication than Party in the USA, are fascinating in the way of trying to get a wide angle lens on something you know at the microscopic level. From small lines -- "Misinformation about rattlesnakes is leitmotiv of the insomniac imagination in Los Angeles," -- to entire essays, hers is an honest and possessive description of characters, currents, and the collective unconscious in the San Bernadino Valley.
The final essay, "Goodbye to All That" describes her motivation to move back to Southern California after living in NYC for 8 years: in short, west coast best coast. Her home was calling her back. Far from naive, her decision came after years of reporting on burnt out lives, frazzled dreams, and hopes derailed (aka the preceeding essays). I admire her acceptance of what isn't perfect and her refusual to gloss over the undesirable.
I have to say though, reading this really made me want to go read some more Jia Tolentino essays. These women have a similar voice, for sure.
The final essay, "Goodbye to All That" describes her motivation to move back to Southern California after living in NYC for 8 years: in short, west coast best coast. Her home was calling her back. Far from naive, her decision came after years of reporting on burnt out lives, frazzled dreams, and hopes derailed (aka the preceeding essays). I admire her acceptance of what isn't perfect and her refusual to gloss over the undesirable.
I have to say though, reading this really made me want to go read some more Jia Tolentino essays. These women have a similar voice, for sure.