Notes to John

Didion and Dr. MacKinnon discuss aging and legacy. They also continue their conversation about Quintana’s well-being. Dr. MacKinnon encourages Didion to stay positive, reminding her that she can set a good example for Quintana. The conversation edges into the topic of depression, work, and money. Didion still feels frustrated with her work. She considers how her cancer diagnosis some years prior has impacted her work since.

Didion tells Dr. MacKinnon about Quintana’s time in Arizona. She thinks the trip has been good for her. The topic shifts to various forms of treatment, particularly for addiction. Didion muses on how Quintana’s contact with her birth family has affected how she sees herself. (In 1998, Quintana’s biological sister contacted her. Quintana learned that the majority of her biological relatives were people with alcoholism.) Didion and Dr. MacKinnon consider genetic and environmental factors in predisposing a person towards alcohol addiction. Didion reflects on her own drinking habits, which Dr. MacKinnon assures her aren’t the same as being addicted to alcohol. They also talk about isolation, and how Didion has felt like an outsider since she was young.