Read this when
The Bell Jar
When she described the fig tree, a lot of us felt personally called out. 🫠 Choosing is hard when every branch looks like a life.
Who it's for
Readers inhabit Esther's mind as the summer in New York shifts from dazzling to meaningless, and the precision of that description can make a reader feel less alone and less 'crazy' for their own numbness.
Feelings it meets
What it is
The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath's only novel, first published in 1963 under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas. Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old English student from the Boston area, wins a summer internship at a ladies' magazine in New York but finds herself numb and disoriented amid the glamour.
Where to find it
In print; libraries (Libby/Hoopla); audiobook available.
Before you start
Heads up: Suicidal ideation and a suicide attempt.
Age: Ages 16+
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, “On Joy and Sorrow”
