So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.
An addition to the already gargantuan amount of teen coming-of-age novels, The perks of being a wallflower stands out as a book that deals with the drama of family life and friendships in a straightforward and affecting way.
Charlie writes letters to an anonymous person detailing a year of his life. Friendless following his best friends suicide, Charlie’s first year of High School doesn’t start well. Awkward and introverted, he spends most of his time observing life happening around him but rarely engaging. Charlie soon meets two older students, step siblings Sam and Patrick, who befriend him and encourage his attempts to participate instead of being the wallflower of the book’s title. Central to the story are Charlie’s relationships with his family members. Secrets and unacknowledged issues bubble under the surface of family life, threatening to unravel Charlie’s carefully ordered existence.
Set in 1991, the book is threaded through with references to the music, books and movies that Charlie discovers while attempting to get involved in the lives of those around him. The author Stephen Chbosky doesn’t shy away from dealing with difficult issues while creating a story that is funny and sometimes sad at the same time.
Recently made into a movie starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Logan Lerman (Three Musketeers), Ezra Miller (We need to talk about Kevin) and Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries), check out the book before the movie hits the cinemas later this year.
richmondreaders 