Notes to John

Notes to John (2025, Knopf) is a posthumously published journal by Joan Didion, written as notes addressed to her husband, John Gregory Dunne. Beginning in 1999, Didion recorded in detail her sessions with a psychiatrist, which dealt with alcoholism, adoption, depression and her painful relationship with her daughter, Quintana. The notes also look back at her childhood, her parents, and what her life had been worth. Found among her papers after her death, they give a private view of a writer known for her reserve.

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Ryan Holiday: “Notes to John. This book sounds incredibly boring, but it's actually one of the greatest writers of all time writing these letters to her husband... it's a great book with a not so good title.”