Book Review

The Bell Jar, this book is by Sylvia Plath. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, other than its over all depressing tone, it was great. It is a semi-autobiographical memoir, I have really been into memoirs lately and while I usually read humorous memoirs this book was highly suggested by some friends.

I appreciated how Plath could articulate the way it feels to be utterly depressed, and contemplating suicide. The way she put depression into perspective made it feel real, and tangible. She described depression as a bell jar (hence the name) when depression/the bell jar is over you everything you see and feel is distorted. She also talks about coming out of her depression and the realization that at anytime depression/the bell jar could descend on her again, and cripple her life making decisions unfamiliar and her wants, dreams, and goals evaporate. The end of the book left things up to the imagination, for a moment anyways. Then by reading about Plath’s life, which is a parallel to the main characters story, the real ending hit me like a ton of bricks.

While I do have my issues, I have never been in the state of depression and despair that Plath and her character(s) found themselves in and I pray to God that I never find myself in a situation close to any of the things they have felt. If you have a friend or family member who has been or is in a state of depression it is a challenging yet good book to read. In the end it gave me a good perspective of what can be going on with others who are in a state of depression.