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A review by daniskara
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I find half of the book to be rather boring and slow, as it just shows how Esther is merely existing— as if she's a mere observant to her own life, living on the sideline on her own life, as if she's a character of a story who only goes along with whatever the author decides her to do. I almost DNF-ed the book until I finally reached the second half of the book where Esther started to have a breakdown and realized that there might be something wrong with her.
This book was published in 1960s, hence for me it was very brave that the book mainly centered on the topic of mental illness. I love the way Sylvia Plath doesn't describe the Esther's mental illness in an insufferably romanticizing way. Instead, she chose to portray the illness as raw as it possibly is. No romanticizing, just pure portrayal on how Esther goes about her day while knowing that something was wrong with her, simply describing about how it distorts the way she views herself and her surrounding, also the way she's making decisions.
I do feel like a character-driven book that talks about depression will be hard to go through, especially at the beginning—because it is simply reality for those who are experiencing it. Throughout the book, it truly felt like I was watching the world through Esther's eyes and I can totally feel the way she battled with her illness—starting from the phase of being confused, denial, angry, scared, acceptance, down to her path of getting better. All I gotta say, I wish I could give Esther Greenwood a hug if I could.
This book was published in 1960s, hence for me it was very brave that the book mainly centered on the topic of mental illness. I love the way Sylvia Plath doesn't describe the Esther's mental illness in an insufferably romanticizing way. Instead, she chose to portray the illness as raw as it possibly is. No romanticizing, just pure portrayal on how Esther goes about her day while knowing that something was wrong with her, simply describing about how it distorts the way she views herself and her surrounding, also the way she's making decisions.
I do feel like a character-driven book that talks about depression will be hard to go through, especially at the beginning—because it is simply reality for those who are experiencing it. Throughout the book, it truly felt like I was watching the world through Esther's eyes and I can totally feel the way she battled with her illness—starting from the phase of being confused, denial, angry, scared, acceptance, down to her path of getting better. All I gotta say, I wish I could give Esther Greenwood a hug if I could.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Sexual harassment