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Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death
Minor: Vomit
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Death of parent
Sylvia Plath was a master with words and, in the novels best passages, you can tell (without prior knowledge) that she was first and foremost a poet and secondly a novelist. Her use of language is so evocative and makes you stop and reread her beautiful prose over and over again. I found myself savouring every letter printed in this book.
Narratively, this book is fundamentally very dark in places - morbid in the protagonist's (Esther's) approach to life. And yet this was strangely comforting for me in places. I would be lying if I didn't say there were points in the novel that I related to, with the book feeling as if you're contained within the character's head - much like a person contained within a bell jar you could say. Therefore it feels as if Plath is just sometimes writing what most people think but don't say. It is also nice to read about a protagonist who initially seems to all her life in order, before it slowly crumbling away before her.
A criticism could be levelled that the novel lacks depth within the plot, basically just focusing on the psychology of one individual. However, I do think this works perfectly in unifying the protagonist and reader - seeing what she sees and hearing what she thinks.
I would love to reread this book again, at a less busy period, where I can dedicate time more regularly to devour this book once more. And who knows, maybe that will increase my already high valuation of this book even further.
Up there as an all-time favourite for me!
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide
Minor: Body horror
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death
Minor: Eating disorder, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Death of parent
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Vomit
Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
Minor: Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Death