Run, River
Encyclopedia
Run, River is the debut novel
of Joan Didion
, first published in 1963.
, Didion turned a critical eye on this novel. She recalled writing it as a homesick girl lately moved from California to New York, and judged it to be a work of false nostalgia, the construction of an idyllic myth of rural Californian life that she knew never to have existed.
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
of Joan Didion
Joan Didion
Joan Didion is an American author best known for her novels and her literary journalism. Her novels and essays explore the disintegration of American morals and cultural chaos, where the overriding theme is individual and social fragmentation...
, first published in 1963.
Summary
The novel is both a portrait of a marriage and a commentary on the history of California. Everett McClellan and his wife, Lily, are the great-grandchildren of pioneers, and what happens to them (murder and betrayal) is suggested is an epilogue to the pioneer experience.Didion on Run, River
In her 2003 book of essays Where I Was FromWhere I Was From
Where I Was From is a 2003 book of essays by Joan Didion. It considers aspects of the history of California, as well as her own and her family's history in that state.-Didion on Where I Was From:...
, Didion turned a critical eye on this novel. She recalled writing it as a homesick girl lately moved from California to New York, and judged it to be a work of false nostalgia, the construction of an idyllic myth of rural Californian life that she knew never to have existed.