Quicklets: Learn more. Read less. The Year of Magical Thinking documents the painful year of 2004 in author Joan Didion's life as she deals with the death of her husband John and the serious illness of her daughter Quintana. It's her most critically aclaimed book to date, earning her the National Book Award in November 2005 and the Pullitzer Prize for biography/autobiography. The book was also a finalist in the National Book Critic's Circle Award. On March 29, 2007 Didion's adaptation of the book for a Broadway play came to life with Vanessa Redgrave as the sole cast member. The production toured the world and has been translated into several other languages.