The Year of Magical Thinking is a memoir by Joan Didion which recounts her experiences in the year after her husband unexpectedly dies. Published in 2003 and now considered a classic book about the process of mourning, the book is Didion's account of grief as she re-lives her husband's life and the moment of his death over and over, wondering if anything could be different. In her famous clinical writing style, Didion analyzes her own mourning process and how she is coming to terms with loss.
The most popular website for book notes. SparkNotes was created by students for students, and their summaries are accessible and extremely well-written. Besides the usual plot overview, chapter summaries, and character analysis, SparkNotes differentiates itself with a section discussing themes, motifs, and symbols.