Andy Mackay answers “I find Esther's descent into insanity a...”

Maddie asked this question about The Bell Jar:

I find Esther's descent into insanity a little rushed or hasty, but I have never experienced mental trauma like hers. Is it relatable to anyone else? Has anyone gone through what Esther is experiencing and could shed some light on this?

Andy Mackay I read The Bell Jar a couple of years back when I was about 50, and I'm male. I was so disappointed when I finished the book that went and read it aga…moreI read The Bell Jar a couple of years back when I was about 50, and I'm male. I was so disappointed when I finished the book that went and read it again there and then, which is something I have never done, disappointed not because it was bad but because I didn't want it to end . I thought it was like a female version of The Catcher in the Rye, and The Catcher in the Rye is also a very slim tome. I had read The Catcher in the Rye when I was a teenager, which is the correct time to read it, if I had know about The Bell Jar then I would have read that when I was 17 too. To associate this to your question, when folk write books about mental health issues they have suffered when they were young, perhaps is so painful that they find it difficult to make them long.(less)

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