A ruthless and unflinching examination of American life in the late 1960s, from the author of The Year of Magical Thinking.

One thing in my defence, not that it matters: I know what 'nothing' means, and keep on playing

Somewhere out beyond Hollywood, hollowed-out actress Maria Wyeth's life plays out in a numbing routine of perpetual freeway driving. In her early thirties, divorced from her husband, dislocated from friends, anesthetized to pain and pleasure, Wheth is a woman who has run out of both desires and motives - the epitome of a generation made ill by too much freedom.

More than five decades after its original publication, Play it as it Lays remains a profoundly disturbing novel that ruthlessly dissects American life in the late 1960s, from the author of The White Album and The Year of Magical Thinking.

About the Author

Joan Didion is one of America's most respected writers, her work constituting some of the greatest portraits of modern-day American culture. Over the four decades of her career, she has produced widely-acclaimed journalistic essays, personal essays, novels, non-fiction, memoir and screenplays. Her memoir The Year of Magical Thinking won the National Book Award in 2005.

Reviews

'She writes with a razor.' New York Times

'A pioneer of New Journalism, she brilliantly chronicled America's cultural and political life.' Guardian

'Didion's mordant lucidity is like L.A. sunlight, a thing so bright sometimes it hurts.' Time

PRAISE FOR THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING

'Her poetic writing has a spell-like charm that is profoundly affecting.' Observer

'this brave book maps a year...when the world flipped over to expose the underside of cool where things go bad.' The Times

'The subject may be bleak, but her tender treatment makes it a book that we should all read.' Daily Mail

Book Information
ISBN 9780008706166
Author Joan Didion
Format Paperback
Page Count 300
Imprint Fourth Estate Ltd
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 160g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 15mm