1977
A Book of Common Prayer
Joan Didion · 1934–2021 · United States
Why it matters
An American woman narrates the life of another American, adrift in a fictional Central American country on the edge of revolution. Didion's cool, fragmented style applied to political catastrophe and maternal loss.
At a glance
psychological novel
Difficulty 6/10slow pace272 pagesCool, elliptical narration that withholds as much as it reveals.
