Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Hey guys!

A couple of weeks ago I was sent Meg Wolitzer's new young adult novel 'Belzhar' by Simon & Schuster and recently I finally got around to reading it. I flew through this book and thoroughly enjoyed it. This novel tells the story of Jam who's dealing with the recent loss of her boyfriend. Unable to cope with his death she is sent a boarding school called The Wooden Barn for "emotionally fragile" students, whilst there she enrolled into a exclusive class 'Special Topics'. During the semester they study the works of Sylvia Plath and learn to deal with the emotional problems through the power of reading and writing.

This is a sensitive and thought provoking read which deals with the choice between reliving past memories forever and moving on. I definitely enjoyed the originality of the interesting ideas and premise Wolitzer has created. The characters develop through the growing friendships and connections they make, their back stories also creating another interesting element. I very much appreciated how she subtly approaches the topic of mental illness which adopts a different approach to 'dealing' with it. In an interesting twist there are elements of magical realism allowing for a different dimension to be added, although I do believe that it could have been further developed. I loved the poetic writing style of the author although there needed to be more showing rather than telling. I also thought the main character could be slightly immature and her emotional aspects could also be further developed. It was extremely interesting to see how Sylvia Plath's 'Bell Jar' was integrated within the story and allowed for emotional development of the characters. I gave this 3.5/5 stars.

Definitely an interesting and enjoyable read which I would recommend for lovers of young adult novels. Let me know your thoughts if you've also read this book as its now available in bookstores.

Annelise xoxo