The Indiependent’s Favourite Books

The Bell Jar // Sylvia Plath

As the famed writer and poet Sylvia Plath’s only novel, The Bell Jar is an extraordinary work of semi-autobiographical fiction that, whilst many people have heard of, not nearly as many have actually read. I first picked it up when I was fifteen, and since then have re-read it several times. My copy is well-loved and full of Post It notes; the story within has stayed with me with a powerful tenacity ever since. Standing at just over 200 pages, The Bell Jar is the very definition of a good thing in a small package.

First published in 1963, just one month before Plath’s regrettable suicide aged only 30, the almost entirely autobiographical novel, with the names of people and places changed, follows Esther Greenwood, a young aspiring journalist in New York, and her frenzied descent into mental illness. The story itself is captivating; parts are difficult to read and others are rather uplifting, but what stands out the most is Plath’s glorious prose. Each and every paragraph, sentence and word choice is carefully crafted to create an entirely wondrous read. With sentences such as “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am” springing from each and every page, it’s almost impossible not to fall in love with the novel.

Not only that, despite its dark and somewhat extreme subject matter of mental health issues and attempted suicide – an early working title was the harrowing ‘Diary of a Suicide’ – The Bell Jar is, at many points, surprisingly relatable. Esther proclaims such thing as: “if neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I’m neurotic as hell. I’ll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days.” Who can say they’ve never felt like that? Plath puts into words feelings we’ve all experienced, even if to a lesser extent, even if we’re too frightened to admit it to ourselves.

If you’ve yet to read The Bell Jar, do. I can assure you it will remain with you, years after you’ve turned the final page.

Words by Amie Bailey

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