Rachel Byrne

I remember reading this book and my first immediate thought was: why did I not read it before? How come I hadn't heard of it? What was wrong with the world for not placing it in my hands sooner? I think I was 13, and my life completely changed after that. This is no artwork, no phenomenal 'White Teeth': this is the masterpiece of the 21st century. If I ever manage to write one line of literature that is half as good as any line of Zadie Smith's - well, I won't. Not only is 'NW' entertaining, tremendously written with ingenuous descriptions of people, and feelings, and laughter, and red-hot emotion stitched together to make a world, but it is appreciative of this world - for it is our world - and it celebrates the beauty of this place we take for granted. This book adds a grounded lens of beauty to every eye - and I highly recommend looking through it.

Sylvia Plath is an absolute genius. From a melancholy beginning to our protagonist's desperation nearer the end of the book, she scrapes out the hollow intricacies of depression with the most beautiful voice. For such a claustrophobic idea of a Bell Jar, this voice is breathy and unchained yet we still feel the thickening walls of the world surrounding Esther, and ourselves. Please do not make film out of this; no television screen could do justice to this woman's words. If you could not tell, this is my favourite book.