Review by fairytales - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

fairytales 's review for:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

4.5

emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This is an important coming of age story and while I wish I’d read it in high school, I’m glad I’ve read it now. I understand why it’s considered a classic. This is the type of book I’d like to be able to discuss in a book group or other setting so I’m a bit sad to have read this solo.

The perspective of Charlie writing letters, particularly having them read by a young-sounding narrator is quite unique. It’s interesting to have a somewhat unreliable/naive narrator (especially at the beginning) who doesn’t always have all the information or is suppressing it sharing his story/perspective. You can feel the build up throughout the story because of this.

The themes shared around

physical, sexual and emotional abuse, drug exploration and abuse, sexuality, identity, family trauma, mental health, depression, and suicide are all important topics that often become important in teen years. Just as important are the themes of family support, friendships (particularly finding friends who appreciate you for who you really are), having great mentors and teachers, having positive mental health support, feeling infinite (which somehow seems most relatable as a teen and in college), and the life lessons that you learn from your friends.

I’m impressed that Stephen Chbosky seemed to capture high school so effectively. There are many lessons, large and small in this book. It’s worth re-reading.

Content Warnings