By Isabelle Odegard

A book about a teenage girl, the book The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath is a world renowned classic. Published in 1963 with over 3 million copies sold and one of Sylvia’s only stand alone novels, The book takes the reader through approximately six months of a 19-year-old girl’s life. This semi-autobiographical work is unintentionally a thriller in itself. 

The Bell Jar follows Esther Greenwood, who takes us through a few months of her life. The readers experience Esther’s ups and downs of this short period of her life. She is forced to deal with mental illness and solitude. But- she also experiences girlhood and freedom in New York. This relatable yet dramatic book is one of my favorites. Similar to Girl, Interrupted or The Perks of being a Wallflower — which also happen to be very popular books. 

This book is filled from cover to cover with hidden meanings, metaphors, and personal interpretations. It will leave you questioning yourself and feeling “seen” in an odd way. I guarantee you will find yourself within one of these characters.

 I read the Bell Jar for the first time this summer, and now envy people reading for the first time. I absolutely adore this book and its perfectly curated plot and characters. One of my favorite parts of this book is when Esther talks about the fig tree metaphor, because it truly is a metaphor that will leave you thinking. 

I would personally recommend this book to anyone trying to find their next read. Just because it’s such a versatile book, this book cannot be specified under a single category, and I personally believe everyone should read this book at least once. I think people who love reading page turners, as well as realistic drama. I don’t think it’s particularly more relevant now in comparison to the past/future, because this book is timeless. I guarantee you can find it in any library or book store.

 My sister read the book a while back, and said, “It made me think differently about people and how differently they can interpret things.” This book has earned a 4.05 globally on Goodreads — partially because there is some controversy following this title. There is some racist speech, as well as crude dialogue. But also partially because this book is ahead of its time, it has a sense of acknowledgement. Though this book is a little insensitive to certain topics it also brought so much awareness to mental illness/mental health. 

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story… I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn’t make up my mind which of the figs I would try.” This specific quote from The Bell Jar demonstrates the depth of this book, and explicates the feeling of choice we’ve all felt before.