Review Detail

How can you write a novel about recovering from mental illness and a few weeks later kill yourself? It's very discouraging.

That being said, this was probably one of the most beautifully written and constructed novels I've ever read. Sylvia Plath has the strangest mixture of funny/heartbreaking writing ever.

About a quarter of the way through I had the notion that this book might be a quirky account of a mental breakdown filled with witty cynicisms and some incredible metaphors ever. However, towards the middle things started to get drastically more depressing.

The book tells the story of a nineteen year-old girl going through a mental meltdown and being hospitalized and trying to recover and regain her old self.

She describes her mental illness as being enfolded inside a bell jar that has descended onto her. She feels imprisoned inside it like she's breathing her own stale air.

It's a relatively short book but it's very emotional. You can tell Sylvia Plath has poured everything she has into this. It was at times difficult to get through