A review by masdibrom
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I won't rate this book so I will leave a couple of pointers instead.

Trigger warning: suicide

As someone that suffers from mental illness, although Esther was not the most likeable character pre-breakdown and was abhorrently racist, I've never seen similar feelings of derealization, loneliness, and fear of suicide while being suicidal like I've read in this book.
Reading through her attempts made me weep for my past self going through similar attempts.
It feels a bit comforting to not feel alone over this. However, this doesn't excuse the discriminatory thoughts she expressed throughout the book. For this reason, I won't rate this book but I appreciate the representation that I've been yearning for.
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