WARNING: THIS BOOK REVIEW MENTIONS SEXUAL CONTENT FROM THE NOVEL
To truly know an individual, one must have a keen understanding of his or her physical and mental attributes. The simplest way to achieve this is to start with a fact, a label, a name. This fact, label, or name may serve as a gateway for the beginning of a friendship. One may believe he knows that football player scoring on the field because he knows his name-Brad. But does he know Brad’s secret? How Brad genuinely behaves? Who Brad loves? The Perks of Being a Wallflower displays a uniquely compelling writing style-anonymous letters and personality, humor and emotional depth-that author Stephen Chbosky couples with an incredibly realistic 15-year-old point of view. The Perks of Being a Wallflower commences in roughly modern day, as Charlie attempts to cope with his best friend’s suicide and the other scarring troubles that relate to his adolescence: He must learn to assert himself, trust, and participate by spending time with his newfound friends, Sam and Patrick. Throughout the novel, Charlie writes to an anonymous reader: By writing letters to this anonymous person, he feels listened to; He must use these letters as a gateway to finding his voice. The Perks of Being a Wallflower possesses components that create a satisfying and original style of writing, void of cliche: Despite the use of unaddressed letters and fabricated character names, the reader feels personally connected to both the story and characters. The novel also contains humor buried within such individuals as Patrick, accompanied by raw, heart-wrenching emotion. Within his letters, Charlie clarifies the purpose for his upcoming use of inaccurate names and the lack of a return address: his intent is to stay anonymous. This would normally cause writing to seem distant and detached, yet the reader develops an intimate relationship with Charlie while learning his story. The use of this anonymity, instead, enhances the writing as the reader’s curiosity and interest-drawn toward the recipient of the letters and the true identity of the characters-grows. One intriguing and comical personality is Patrick. Even as Charlie cries over his kiss with Sam-while Charlie’s girlfriend sat next to him- Patrick manages to fill the moment with humor: “‘It’s too bad you’re not gay.’ That made me stop crying a little bit. ‘Then again, if you were gay, I would never date you. You’re a mess.’ That made me start laughing a little bit. ‘And I thought Brad was fucked-up. Jesus.’ That made me laugh a lot more” (136). The novel maintains small uplifting moments that counterbalance the powerful emotion to come as Charlie finds himself in love with Sam. Earlier in the novel, Charlie stumbles upon a poignant poem with a disturbing ending: “That’s why on the back of a brown paper bag/he tried another poem/And he called it ‘Absolutely Nothing’/ Because that’s what it was really all about/And he gave himself an A and a slash on each damned wrist” (72-73). Charlie gives this poem as a secret santa gift to Patrick, yet it reappears later, fraught with deep emotion. As he hears Sam and Craig having sex, he thinks, “for the first time in my life, I understand the end of that poem. And I never wanted to. You have to believe me” (96). Each moment within The Perks of Being a Wallflower carries a purpose that contributes to the overall captivating style of writing. The writing style is not only enthralling, but also conveys the perspective of a 15 year-old, despite the author’s age of 29. Charlie’s youth is portrayed through his sexual immaturity: He feels the need to pose and elaborate-in childish ways-on such questions as, “Do you know what masturbation is?...Wow!” (21); He continues to exhibit childish reactions as he thinks, “in those movies and television shows when they talk about having a coffee break that they should have a masturbation break. But then again, I think this would decrease productivity. I’m only being cute here. I don’t really mean it. I just wanted to make you smile. I meant the ‘wow’ though” (21). Charlie’s simplistic interpretation of sexual acts is on par with that of other 15 year-olds. He even feels guilty and ashamed after having “a weird dream. [He] was with Sam. And [they] were both naked” (21). For a 15 year-old, this is often a new experience, and this applies with Charlie. Despite his ability to continue life without saying a word to Sam, he demonstrates the kind of honesty typical of youth and a lack of experience. Stephen Chbosky shows that Charlie’s thoughts and actions are comparable to those of other teenagers, creating a credible, more likeable, 15 year-old point of view. The Perks of Being a Wallflower represents the epitome of the strife that is inherent to life;I would certainly recommend it to anyone searching for the reality behind adolescence and the process of maturing. Because of these remarkable aspects, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is now my favorite novel.
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