Didion’s third novel, A Book of Common Prayer is the story of two American women in Boca Grande and Central America, respectively, focused on the themes of absolute power, violence rooted in poverty, and the dichotomy between purity and corruption. It is a stunning and underrated novel, and a favourite of ours at The Second Shelf.

Didion is best known for her writing on the culture of Sacramento and Hollywood in the 60s and 70s. Her first collection of essays, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” whose title references the poem by Yeats, was an instant phenomenon. She has received numerous accolades such as honorary doctorates from Yale and Harvard, and a National Medal of Arts from the White House. She was notably married to John Dunne, a well known novelist and screenwriter with whom she collaborated many times.

New York: Simon and Schuster, 1977. First edition. 250 pages. 22 x 14.5 x 3. Price clipped dust jacket. Hardback. Very good book in good dust jacket.