Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Belzhar tells the story of a high-school girl named Jam whose life is thrown into crisis by the death of her boyfriend. Though they were only together, as Jam continually points out, for 41 days, it was an intense relationship that made Jam feel like someone really got her. Unable to snap Jam out of her depression, her parents send her to a boarding school in Vermont for "troubled" teens. There she encounters other adolescents struggling with loss as well as a special English class that teaches her about much more than literature. Little by little, we learn about what happened between Jam and her boyfriend -- and the final analysis definitely isn't what you expect.

I was drawn to this book because of its author, Meg Wolitzer, who wrote a great book for adults called The Interestings. I loved the way that book created a set of characters so real I felt like I knew them. Wolitzer does something similar with Belzhar, but this book is much more plot driven. Wolitzer did a great job sprinkling suspense and magic throughout the book that kept you wanting to know more, to read on, to turn the next page. And the twist at the end was at once heartbreaking and hopeful. Turns out, what other people might see as a minor setback others find an earth shattering event. There are some mature themes in the book, including some references to drugs and homosexuality. In addition, romantic relationships play a pretty big part in the book. But it was definitely a page turner.