REVIEW: The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)

Book: The Bell Jar

Author: Sylvia Plath

Premise: When Esther Greenwood wins an internship on a New York fashion magazine in 1953, she is elated, believing she will finally realise her dream to become a writer. But in between the cocktail parties and piles of manuscripts, Esther's life begins to slide out of control. She finds herself spiralling into depression as she grapples with difficult relationships and a society which refuses to take women's aspirations seriously.

[⚠️CW: depression, suicide, self harm, racism, old medical treatments]

The one thing I knew about The Bell Jar was that it was a depressing read. So I was surprised for the first 100 pages or so when it wasn't that heavy - Esther is in New York and starts spiralling but nothing too depressing. Then suddenly, it got very heavy very quickly! The spiralling picked up and we end up in the midst of a bad depressive episode, with quite descriptive suicidal thoughts. There were parts that I found uncomfortable and had to quick read past. It does get better as she receives help, but it definitely is a heavy read!

One thing that shone through were some of the descriptions. At one point, a fig tree is used to describe someone on the cusp of adulthood. The fruits are all the possible paths they could take but they're sat under the tree, starving due to indecision. Then the fruits start to over ripe and fall. I loved this idea as it beautifully described how it felt coming out of university and not knowing what to do.

So, all in all, a book to only read when you're in a good headspace and can take the heavy. Also, even more tragic when you realise how close the story is to Sylvia Plath's life. But sprinkled with beautiful writing.