Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
I had never actually taken the time to read this before. I briefly read it for a class I took but I mostly used cliffnotes. Finally decided to sit down and read it and I finished it in 5 hours.
The jagged, non linear storytelling perfectly presents how depression and other mental illnesses can smash your perception of yourself and your life like a mirror. Others hate it and I definitely hated it when I was a few years younger but I can appreciate it now, especially with this being a relatable state of mind. Esther's poor self image, her love of new beginnings and the feeling of being pure, her distaste for regular life in the sense that there is only one path to take, and so many of her thoughts are well written and described. While I love the fig tree metaphor- I have felt this way all my life and it beautifully represents the odd feeling of being old enough to decide but not old enough to actually decide - I don't think it is the only part of this book that should be praised. On top of that, there is more to the metaphor. It's a tree- look at it literally. A fig tree will produce new fruit. There is always new fruit. You don't have to sit under the tree and starve because you can't choose forever. And you are not restricted to one fig.
Overall, Esther's cynicism and the way her depression manifests as occasional episodes of madness followed by the inescapable feeling that she is simply not good enough, will not be good enough, and cannot and never will be good enough is perfectly written. I would love to reread this and annotate it another time.
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dysphoria, Classism
Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Racial slurs
It’s easier to say that elements of the book have not aged well but that would imply that the racism in this was ever okay. And the racism isn’t like, a character choice; Ive read Plath’s poetry.
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Minor: Racism, Sexism
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racial slurs, Suicide
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism