I just finished reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I guess that I am still processing it, but I’m not sure how I feel about it. The book is about a boy named Charlie whose friend committed suicide just before his freshman year of high school. The story then takes place during that year, and deals with how Charlie copes with his life.
I love the way that this book is written. It is written from Charlie’s point of view in letter form. He writes all his thoughts down to an unknown friend. You never find out who this friend is or where Charlie met him/her, but it does make it seem like he really is writing to you personally which I find to be really cool. I really love this style of writing. I’ve other books before that where written as diaries/journals and I always thought that it gave the story a sort of reality and intimacy.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a very compelling story about what it is like to be a teenager. Stephen Chbosky paints a great picture of what it’s like to be a teen trying to deal with difficult situations, while still wanting to be “normal” and accepted. I was so interested in the story that there were nights when I stayed up late just to see what would happen next. Charlie learns a lot about himself during the year that the story takes place, and in the end I just feel sad for him. In the way of coming of age stories this one does not have that happy life affirming moment. It leaves you feeling sad, and yet at the same time you do know that Charlie will be alright.
Despite that The Perks of Being a Wallflower was slightly depressing I would definitely recommend it. It was such intriguing read, and I really didn’t know how it was going to end, and it ended with a twist. Now all I have I do is wait for the movie to come out!
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