The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

Summary: 
Fifteen-year-old Charlie is coping with the suicide of his friend, Michael. To lessen the fear and anxiety of starting high school alone, Charlie starts writing letters to a stranger, someone he heard was nice but has never met in person.

Plot:

This story is told from the perspective of the slightly different boy, Charlie. It’s a very interesting angle, as Charlie has a way of saying something directly, which can sometime be very embarrassing and other times he comes up with sayings that are incredibly wise. I really like this story, it’s different and very well written. I found it a little hard to understand the first time I read it, because if you miss anything while reading, a lot of the book won’t make sense. This is not necessarily a bad thing, it means every time you read it you find something new.

Characters:

While I like the story of this book the characters are far better. Charlie, the main character, is incredibly naïve and almost like a child in the way he acts and speaks, yet he is extremely intelligent. Sweet and unassuming he is a unique and interesting character. Sam, his love interest and one of his best friends, have been through a lot, and has much more experience, but are always very kind and encourages Charlie to come out of his shell and be himself. Patrick, Charlie’s other best friend, is Sam’s gay step-brother, he acts funny to hide his hurt, and is a character many could relate to, whether they’re gay or not. All the characters are unique and interesting and colorful.

Who should read this?

13+, there are some swearing and other mature content, also younger people may not understand the depth of this book. Anyone who likes a book that’ll make them think, laugh and cry, you should read this one. As I said with the movie, I’m not sure if everyone will get this book, but it’s worth trying right?

My rating:

I really like this book, although I like the movie more, maybe because it’s just so well made. But I’ll give it a 4/5.

Quote:
“I would die for you. But I won't live for you.”

Read my review for the movie here!