I won’t name names, but some adult authors just shouldn’t write books for teens. Thankfully, Meg Wolitzer doesn’t appear to be one of them. Her first YA novel is strong and (almost) never writes down to its audience.

Belzhar is one of the books the people at the TLA Penguin booth talked about in glowing terms, and since I’m a sucker and fall for pitches like that (especially the ones that seem personal like this one did), I gave this one a shot – though it’s not normally up my alley. I’m not a huge fan of magical realism and tend to shy away from the label (usually I think it’s a way to call something fantasy without using that word; just call a spade a spade, please). But I liked this one.

Jam Gallahue has been sent to a special boarding school for highly intelligent, damaged teenagers. Her boyfriend, Reeve, died some months ago, and Jam hasn’t been able to come to terms with her grief and move on with her life. At the school, she discovers she’s been signed up for a class called Special Topics in English. This class only takes a few students each year and it’s known to be more than a bit mysterious – for good reason.

When Jam and her classmates go to the first class, they learn they’ll be studying Sylvia Plath’s writing exclusively. Part of their assignment is to write in a journal each night, but the journals are far from ordinary. Each time Jam writes in hers, she finds herself transported for a short while to a place where Reeve is still alive, giving her the opportunity to experience being with him again in a place where time doesn’t seem to exist. Jam quickly learns that her classmates experience something similar, too – they all travel to a place before their respective traumas. They nickname this place “Belzhar” after Plath’s semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, which they’ve been studying in class.

This is a book about grief, depression, and mental illness in general. It’s about how people – and teenagers specifically – deal with the things life throws at them, and how they heal – or don’t. The book follows Jam’s journey most closely, but through Jam, we also learn about what her classmates have experienced and how these experiences have affected them. The students form bonds with each other, but thankfully it’s never a forced kumbaya moment. Each of the students’ stories are full of pain and grief; they’re all in the class together because they’re battling depression, and sometimes more. Wolitzer’s depiction of the illness is individual to each student and there’s very little moralizing for most of the book.

It’s clear from the beginning that Jam is a slightly unreliable narrator. She’s the last to share her story with her classmates and the story she relates to the reader doesn’t exactly seem right, either. The savvy (and perhaps not so savvy) reader will be able to predict a twist that happens close to the end. It’s not hugely telegraphed, but I did realize most of what was going on. I didn’t feel cheated by it, though. The fact that Jam lies to the reader is tied up with her own mental illness. The story is stronger for the deception because Jam has deceived herself as well.

The metaphor with Plath’s life and writing is obvious, even for teens who haven’t read anything of hers. Wolitzer does take the time to explain a bit about Plath’s life and how it parallels The Bell Jar, but this portion doesn’t feel overly didactic. It’s interesting, actually, particularly for a reader who hasn’t read the source (such as myself). I anticipate it will create a lot of interest in teen readers for Plath and her work.

This is a moving novel that should resonate with sensitive teens – perhaps those who keep journals or write poetry, who know that words are a powerful conduit for self-expression and healing. Wolitzer does falter a bit in the final chapters, writing down just a touch to her audience and misjudging their intelligence, I think, but it doesn’t ruin what is otherwise a nuanced and satisfying story.

Review copy received from the publisher. Belzhar will be available September 30.