Auntie Book Club: Belzhar, by Meg Wolitzer
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
by Jaime Herndon
Some of my favorite memories so far with my nephew have been the times when we read together. My nephew likes to play “bookstore” when we’re home, and trips to Barnes and Noble are routine when I visit for the weekend. When my niece gets older, she and I will read together. But what about tweens and teens? Every so often there’s a book that might be marketed as YA, but can appeal to adults just as much. Good writing is good writing. Which is why, when I came across Meg Wolitzer’s Belzhar, I immediately snatched it up.
Aunts might know Wolitzer from her books like The Interestings and The Ten-Year Nap. Belzhar is her new YA book, and not only did I read it in one sitting, but I’ve reread it and lent it out to people – on the premise that they return it, of course.
The story follows Jam Gallahue, a girl who is sent to a “therapeutic boarding school” to help her heal after her breakdown after boyfriend died. She finds herself in a class called Special Topics in English, comprised of only a handful of students, and they read only one author all semester – oh, and write in a journal. But Jam and her classmates quickly realize that this journal writing is very different than any other writing they’ve done. It lets them go back in time to Belzhar, a place where the past exists again, before anything bad happened. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s a story about confronting the past, a journey of acceptance after working through pain, and reclaiming what was thought to be lost. It’s about facing your most feared demons and living through it to the other side. It’s about love, friendship, and imperfection.
Nieces (and maybe nephews) ages 12 and up will appreciate this book, and aunts will lose themselves in the land of Belzhar, as well. Everyone can relate to the feeling of wanting to change the past and traveling through grief to become whole again, and the book can be a great jumping-off point for conversations that might be a little tough otherwise. Why not start an auntie-niece book club? Belzhar is a great place to start.