Thank you to the morbid "100 Books To Read Before You Die" list. I was never actively avoiding this one, but it always managed to slip past my radar. The Bell Jar did nothing to alleviate the heebie-jeebies that come over me when reading a disturbing novel and wondering exactly HOW warped the author's brain was when writing it. Since Plath's later claim to fame was offing herself, Esther's downward spiral to insanity in this semi-autobiographical tale kinda confirms my thoughts. 