Belzhar is a book inspired by the life of Sylvia Plath, whom I've heard of but I have never paid much attention to any of her work. This book made me want to go and research about her and it also makes me want to read The Bell Jar.

Belzhar follows the story of Jam who is heartbroken and lost after the 'death' of her boyfriend, Reeve. I put the word 'death' in speech marks because near the end you find out what truly happened and you'll definitely be shocked.
So Jam is sent to The Wooden Barn, a boarding school for sensitive students who have issues. There, she is surprised to find that she has been selected to be in the most exclusive class: Special Topics in English. There are four other students in this class and they learn about Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar along with their mysterious old teacher, Mrs Quenell. They are given journals to write about their experiences but little do they know what those journals are capable of.

The students are transported to Belzhar whenever they write in their journals, which is kind of like a state of mind where past experiences lie. So in Jam's case, she gets to be with Reeve again.

It all sounds very glorious and amazing… but it definitely isn't. The journals are filling up fast and more and more secrets are unraveled. We soon get to know about how Reeve actually 'died'.

I love how the characters are portrayed, you really get to see how well they all bond with each other and become good friends through the secret of the journals.

Overall, this book was a whirlwind of adventure. I didn't think any book could contain so many surprises without there actually being any magic involved. It was just… surreal. In a good way.

Belzhar is a mind-blowing read and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from cover to cover and I'm not sure if it's possible but I would love a second book. To see how Jam is getting along.

I would recommend this book to any teenager who is really into English Literature or to anyone who wants to read an interesting novel really.

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.

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