The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

First I'd like to thank my friend Sophie for lending me the book otherwise who knows how long it would've taken me to read this!

A Spoiler Free Bit About The Book

Socially awkward Charlie writes a series of letters as he tries to navigate high school, new friends and family conflict while all the while trying to "participate" though his natural instincts are to simply watch and listen. Charlie tries to navigate triumph, failure, friendship, sexuality, honesty, right and wrong while keeping a level head and a heart full of hopes.

My Review

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the most perfect coming of age story I've ever read. There was so much beauty in this book I'm surprised the pages can contain it.

I was thrust straight into Wallflower by Charlie's sweet innocent voice. In mere sentences I felt like I knew him and I grew to love him more with each passing page. His letters are aimed at you, the reader, and so Charlie is speaking right to you, making it impossible to resist his friendship. The letters are so easy to read, like diaries are, so I struggled to put this book down to go to bed and to get back to work. If I'd picked this book up in the morning of a day off it would've been finished in one sitting.

I must say, I was in the book with Charlie, following him every step of the way. The other characters were all delightfully different, each having a series of good and bad points that came through to me as the reader, regardless of how Charlie viewed them which was fantastic. They were all very real people with very real problems and that made it even easier to read.

Chbosky fills Wallflower with brilliant observations that land straight in your heart and make you think about the world you inhabit.  Certain phrases made my head ring and my heart swell like: "And in that moment, I swear we were infinite." Every now and then when I stop working for a moment, this sentence just takes hold of me and it's all I can think of. That  is powerful writing.

I've got nothing bad to say because I loved this book. I read 3/4 of it in one sitting without even realising. And I would read it again.

Evaluation

Plot - 7/10 - high school's been done

Way Plot Was Pursued - 10/10 - but it's never been done like this

Characters - 10/10 - authentic and real

Style - 10/10 - the letters were honest and perfect

Pace - 10/10 - couldn't put it down

Would I recommend it? - Yes. For anyone in or out of high school.

Would I look up the author? - Yes, but sadly he mostly writes screenplays.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was poignant, bitter-sweet, deep, moving and nostalgic. What can I say? I adored every single page.

Molly Looby

Author / Editor / Ghostwriter / Blogger / Reviewer / Wrimo / Movellian / ZA Ready

molly.looby@hotmail.com