I was drawn to this book purely because of the mention of Sylvia Plath. Having just read The Bell Jar and been thoroughly astounded by it, and in the midst of Ariel, my Plath-loving levels were high and I was eager for anything which might give me more information to this wonderful woman. Albeit being surprised and slightly disappointed at the irrelevance of Belzhar to Plath, (I will extend on this later), I found the book extremely enjoyable and thought-provoking.

Belzhar is about a group of 'emotionally fragile, highly intelligent' teenagers sent to a desolate boarding school in hope of rehabilitating and recovering themselves. When a select group of students are chosen to attend 'Special Topics in English' and each receive an antique, red-leather bound journal, peculiar events take place. Each pupil discovers Belzhar a separate world which they can escape into the bliss of for a while, as their previous problems fade away. Belzhar is named after The Bell Jar, the book which the students are studying in 'Special Topics in English', and which seems to make a particularly significant impact on them. Belzhar follows the journey of these students as they desperately attempt to regain normality and recover from their traumatic experiences.

Earlier I mentioned the irrelevance of Belzhar to Plath. This is not a big disadvantage for the book; I simply mean that I expected more appearances of the Bell Jar and Plath in Belzhar, which is what the book is focused around. I felt slightly as though Plath had been added as a tool to speed up the situation within the story and, ultimately, just show literary knowledge.

Despite this, Meg Wolitzer managed to produce an extremely lovable set of characters which you are sure to become attached to. Each battling with their own individual demons, they are inspirational yet flawed; meaning they are relatable, which is always a great way to engage a reader. I especially liked Griffin, one of the main characters, who began the book as a moody, secluded teenage boy. I felt as though Wolitzer expertly created a journey for him throughout the book, and the reader really grows with him in personality and mind.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Belzhar and would recommend it to any Sylvia Plath fans and/or boarding school book fans. I finished it extremely quickly and am pleased to say that it was worth the depressing nature of it - it ended up being a greatly refreshing and awe-inspiring read.

• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop.

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