A review by galliardbard
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is probably the best novel that I have ever read. I honestly have never related to a character more than I relate to Charlie, such a genuine protrayal of mental illness and trauma. So many lines just gave a voice to feelings that I have had all my life but never had the words to describe. I relate to Charlie in a lot of ways, he's at a time in his recovery that he doesn't really seem to know what's happening to him or why he is different from his classmates but knows that he is. This was essentially how I grew up, knowing that I acted different and reacted differently than any of my classmates but because I was getting good grades no one really questioned it. I was just "quirky" like how most people react to Charlie through out the novel. Its been a while since I've read something that I have had such an intimate connection with and this was oddly theraputic to read despite being so close to some of the specific traumas in the novel, having several moments in my life that are almost a play by play of scenes that Charlie went through. 
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