BOOK REVIEW - THE BELL JAR BY SYLVIA PLATH
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As a teenager experiencing a lot of complicated feelings yet seemingly had little to no vocabulary to express them, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath was a welcome sanctuary of a book. However, don’t be fooled into the stereotype of Plath as an angsty writer for young attitude-ridden women (I’m looking at you, 10 Things I Hate About You).
This is a coming-of-age story about a woman struggling to find her place in the world, and Plath tells it with a level of depth, heart and wisdom beyond her years. She famously struggled with feelings of inadequacy and struggling to find her place in the world, and she expressed that through her words.
Esther Greenwood is a character you’ll be rooting for, but you’ll leave this book with feelings of emptiness. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Life has a nasty habit of not necessarily working out in the end sometimes. And while you may think this story is depressing - you’re not wrong, truthfully - it’s one that deserves your time. It’s likely to change your perspective on attitudes towards love, life and depression.
And while you may think this story is depressing - you’re not wrong, truthfully - it’s one that deserves your time.
Ultimately, Plath was a poetic writer - as evidenced by one novel, but an anthology of poetry - and while I still feel sad that she only wrote the one book, maybe it was better that way. In my mind, it’s perfect. Maybe I’m being superfluous, but when you’ve read a story so many times over the course of 15 years, the connection runs deep. And it’s not one I wish to lose. I hope you’ll find that too.
