This is a read that will change your view on life and relationships after every page you turn. Sylvia Plath wastes no words, no lines, and no time in pulling you into her world filled with symbolic emotional metamorphosis.

The main character, Esther Greenwood, is a woman who is dealing with chronic depression, something that I, MOMB, have had much experience in coping with day-to-day as well. Initially the story feels like a typical drama, however, the more insight you gain on the emotional experiences Esther endures, the more you realize that there are deeper depths to her development than you initially expected. 

The story depicts very real depths that depression can push you into, especially when it goes untreated. Social expectations make self-views clouded or pessimistic, particularly when you are trying to still figure out who you are, which comes with making mistakes, experiencing embarrassment, dealing with family expectations, traditions, and figuring out what love is. 

Esther deals with suicidal thoughts, insomnia, frequent feelings of sadness and helplessness, anhedonia (loss of interest in things you enjoy), all of the signature symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder. She falls deeper and deeper into the grip of depression, yet, her handling of it is profound, because of how she herself is not certain as to what she is going through. Something that feels too real. Everyone doesn’t always know exactly what is going on with them by reading into the signs their emotions are attempting to inform the mind about.

This is something that I believe we all should try to get better at. In learning more about the symptoms of different conditions, in figuring out the possible events that influenced these very emotions, and understanding how they impact your behavior, thoughts, physiology, you are gradually building your emotional intelligence. One of the most integral skills any human being can sharpen. This sharpening begins with education though. And what safer way to educate yourself than by reading impactful literature! 

I highly recommend everyone to read this book, especially if you may be dealing with a chronic condition. It is easy for healthy bodies to take for granted their wellbeing. A normal thing that everyone does. It’s like when you wake up feeling congested, or have allergies, and are unable to breath out of both nostrils. This is when being grateful for the days where you could have oxygen flow through all of your nose. For depression, the feeling of losing yourself to it, or having a cloud of sadness descend onto your mind can take away the emotional highs you once felt. But with counseling, through communication, with exploration, as well as plenty of learning, dealing with a chronic condition can become much more manageable.