Kate Moses

I gave this book the rare compliment of reading it twice -- once when it first came out, back in 2003. I have a frustrating relationship with Plath, to whom I'd like to give, alternately, a long hug and a hard slap. Apparently that's the way Ted felt about her, too.

As a child of a mother who made many attempts at suicide, and who finally died by accident when she was about Plath's age (when I was 2 1/2 and my sister was 5 1/2), I have always been struck by the extraordinary self-centeredness of young parents who choose suicide. I imagine Plath's children, who are older than me by about a decade, have searched all their lives for the answers to why they were not --worthy enough? --compelling enough? --loved enough? --to have a mother who chose to stay, to live, if only for them. Kate Moses has helped to shed some light on these terrible questions, and for that, I thank her.… (meer)

An introspective look at Sylvia Plath's mindset in the years leading up to her suicide. Wintering takes particular interest the author's interactions with her stifling mother, beloved children, and adulterous husband (Ted Hughes.) The timeline is difficult to follow, since each chapter jumps back and forth between adolescence, separation, and divorce, but Sylvia's attempts to find her independence lend clarity to each scene. Ted is definitely the villain here, and Sylvia the victim, but it's hard to argue the point, after suicide attempts and shock therapy.… (meer)