I finished Joan Didion’s book

I finished Joan Didion’s Let Me Tell You What I Mean, and only after finishing it, I read the foreword. I always hesitate reading the foreword before reading the book myself. Most of the time they are written by people who have already read the book, and I find it unfair to encounter their interpretation before forming my own.

But the more I read Didion, the more I wanted to know where her writing came from. I wanted to understand her time and her environment. I began to notice this pattern in myself that, when I am drawn to someone’s work, I feel the need to better understand the person who created it.

Halfway through the book, having forgotten that I had skipped the foreword, (which would have been perfect to read at this moment as it discussed Didion's style at length, quoting examples from the book) I looked her up and ended up watching the documentary Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold.

Throughout all this time, one particular image stayed with me: her photograph on the cover of the book. Framed by a wide orange margin, Didion stares at the camera, at me, with an inquisitive gaze. Her sleeves are rolled up, not literally but by the design of her loose, robe-like dress, whose red, yellow, and green floral patterns perfectly complement the orange margin of the book. With her elbows on the table and her palms pressed together, her pose seems to suggest: “We have a great deal of work to do; let's get going.”

The title, let me tell you what I mean, flows over the photograph in lowercase letters, presenting itself not merely as the title but as a sentence spoken by the woman on the cover. I realize now (perhaps I am over-reading) that the capital “I” stands out, emphasizing that Didion will speak about the “I” in her writing, the very question that brought me to the book.

I’d like to tip my hat to Jo Thomson for the cover design. Despite the cliché that one should not judge a book by its cover, how can I not? When so much intention is invested in the design, its effect is difficult to ignore.

I have bought and read many books because of their covers, and these purchases fall into two categories. Sometimes I am drawn in by a cover and only afterward discover that the subject also interests me. At other times, I already intend to read a particular book, and if multiple editions exist, then I choose the one whose cover appeals to me most.

Without further digression, here is the cover of Let Me Tell You What I Mean, published by 4th Estate, London.