Perks of Being a Wallflower

 Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Genre: YA - Coming of Age
Pages: 213 (paperback)
Published: February 1999

Rating: 5/5 - Breath taking, provocative, yet subtle. 

I've always said this is one of my favourite books, so when I reread it to review it properly, I remembered why. It's a extremely hard hitting read but mostly because of the down to earth way that Charlie describes his traumatic experiences. From suicide & love to drugs. But it isn't nearly as vulgar as it sounds.  

Our protagonist, Charlie, is your average wall flower- which makes him not quite so average. Shy, introverted, unnoticeable. The story is made up of Charlie writing detailed letters to an unknown receiver, to help him cope with his break downs and anger issues. It opens as he is starting high school and is struggling after his only friend committed suicide. The letters lead us through a twisting journey off making new exotic friends, experimenting with sexuality and opening up about his troubled past.

I thought the way that Stephen Chbosky wrote this book was beautiful and compelling. The letters felt private which sometimes made reading them feel intrusive (because we know they're not written for us.) The language used was also exquisitely chosen. Simple. But the choice of quiet, straightforward words did not seem patronizing, but innocent. It really encapsulated this intelligent yet modest boy who was almost scared to express himself in a way that was out of the norm. It wasn't out of laziness, the lack of polyphonic words, it helped build the gentle humble character of Charlie perfectly.
 

Talking about beautiful characters, this book is full of them. Teenagers reading 'Perks' can instantly relate to Charlie as he is growing up and expresses the 'nobody understands me' feeling that we have all experienced. I thought I'd find that moany and unbearable but for some reason I felt the complete opposite. He is honest, genuine and kind which makes him a very memorable touching character.

Sam and Patrick are quite remarkable. I don't want to describe them as 'quirky' because I think that's exactly how they are meant to be so is a bit cliché: but they are. But they act as almost mentors to Charlie's whole 'coming of age' experience. And although they're not the nicest, best behaved, most intelligent: they're kind hearted and understanding which makes them perfect friends for our beloved Charlie. Indie rock, The Rocky Horror show and comic books are not things we'd instantly relate to 'cool friends', but after reading 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower', we all want friends like Patrick and Sam. Both are complex characters (although they could've been a bit better developed character wise.)

This leads to one thing I didn't like about 'Perks of Being a Wallflower.' I felt like everywhere, everyone and everything that happened was 'deep' and 'complex.' It was a bit tiresome when instead of actually moving the plot forwards, another character revealed something tragic that happened in their past. Literally all the characters had a disturbing background. It felt like Stephen compensated the lack of present character development with mysterious back stories that I never fully understood. I must admit, it took me 2 readings and a quick google search to understand exactly how Charlie's aunt fit into the plot.

'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' has been quickly adopted by readers of different age groups (but primarily teens) as a modern classic. The book is now a symbol of hope, experience and discovering yourself and did actually affect me. It sounds silly but the characters and reality of the book provokes different thoughts about how you're living your own life. It touches on lots of very real issues such as rape, drugs, sex and family; but in a subtle way so it is not too graphic.
 And quotes that Stephen expertly created now litter twitter, tumblr and pinterest alike. Ever seen things like:

 

These are from 'Perks.'

I think its the combination of self discovery, reflection and bluntness that resonates with a lot of readers... and is why it remains one of my all time favourite books.

 

Overall, I highly recommend reading 'Perks of Being a Wallflower.' I hate that some people have avoided reading it just because of the 'hype', as I think its well deserved. It's a fairly quick read and I think that after finishing it, it's hard not be touched in any way. Its not cliché, which you would expect from a 'self discovery' book based in high school', but if you're into fast paced adventure books then it may not be for you. 

As always though, I hope you try it to form your own opinion and let me know what you think!
An a side note, if you didn't already know, there has been a movie adaptation. And I must say the casting is brilliant and it is actually incredibly true to the book. So if you enjoy the book then I recommend watching the movie too.

Find 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' in Amazon here
Read about 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' on Goodreads here

Hope you enjoyed and keep reading...

Laura Stone x