The Raw Reality of Desperate Luxury in “Play It as It Lays” [Book Recommendation]
Play It as It Lays, written by Joan Didion, is a stunning work about resilience and despair unfolding against the dry backdrop of 1960s Los Angeles. Each of Didion’s sentences resonate with a quiet intensity, a true master class in containment for young writers. Maria Wyeth is the main character of the novel and is a woman who travels through the treacherous terrain of a fragmented life. Didion’s portrayal of Maria is a kaleidoscope of shattered dreams and unrelenting tenacity, and it’s this dichotomy that makes the story dark and beautiful at the same time.
The narrative’s brilliance lies in its ability to capture the essence of the uncertainty that accompanies life, reflecting the disintegration of the American Dream throughout an eventful era. Los Angeles, as written by Didion, is more than a setting — it is a gigantic metropolis that reflects the fractured minds of its inhabitants. The prose has a cinematic quality that recalls the bleakness of classic film noir.
Maria Wyeth’s internal universe functions as a microcosm of the social upheavals that occurred at that time. She provides a poignant commentary on the loss of traditional values and the search for meaning in an increasingly fragmented world. The contradictions that define the human experience are laid bare by Didion, who navigates with surgical precision the complicated tapestry of Maria’s mind. The fragmented structure of the novel reflects Maria’s fragmented reality. This creates a narrative mosaic that manages to be confusing and deeply moving simultaneously.
My favorite aspect is, without a doubt, the relationship between Maria and BZ. Their friendship is a thin thread of humanity that permeates the dark plot. BZ serves not only as a confidant for Maria, but also as a moral compass in a decadent world. And, in turn, BZ himself, played by Anthony Perkins in the adaptation of the book to film (“Play It as It Lays”), is trapped in a dilemma regarding his mental health and the value he attributes to a style luxurious and emotionally empty lifestyle.
Play It as It Lays is a testament to Didion’s literary mastery, exploring the human condition beyond its temporal and geographic context. For me, the work goes beyond its universal themes of loss, resilience, and the search for identity. It’s a near-perfect depiction of the desperation that comes from searching for genuine connection in a world that often seems devoid of meaning.
The book is only available in English and can be found here. The film, despite not capturing several crucial elements of the book, is a well-executed generalization of the setting experienced by the characters. The film is available on YouTube for free and can be found here.