My husband gave me this book last summer. I read it but found it somewhat depressing. In September, my husband of 40 years died suddenly of a heart attack. Six months later I thought of Ms Didion' book. I searched my book shelves until I found it. The second time I read it it immediately hit home. I was going through everything she described in her book, all of the confusion, pain, loneliness and feelings of helplessness. I began highlighting passages and have reread them many times. This book gives permission to others to grieve in their own way without feeling they have to fit into a mold. This book would be an excellent gift to someone who has lost a spouse.