To anyone who has
read J.D Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, this book is its modern day equivalent.
Written in the style of everyday dialogue between teens all over the world, it
is a simple read that makes one think real hard about life, friendship and
growing up. This epistolary book is written by high school student, Charlie to
a friend that he never names. He posts these letters frequently, telling his
friend about the events in his life, never expecting or asking for an answer
back. Gradually, the reader starts feeling like being that friend to Charlie
and finds oneself caring for this young teen’s wellbeing.
At the very onset,
Charlie’s closest friend commits suicide due to supposed trouble at home. And Charlie,
left alone in the freshman year of high school tries to make sense of it all by
himself, till he makes friends with a bunch of seniors and his English teacher
Bill, who sees potential in Charlie’s literary talents.
Charlie is a regular
teen in most ways, save for the depth he reaches when thinking about why people
are as they are. His thoughts are free and unhindered by social construct. He calls
it as he sees it, but that doesn’t mean he calls people out for their
superficiality. He really tries to understand his peers and the circumstances that
they are in. He understands that being different seems important in high school
and doesn’t judge his senior friends for going out of their way to appear
interesting to others.
His feelings for Sam
are sweet. It is a rare kind of affection to find these days, where one adores
another without selfishness and “doesn’t try to sleep with someone just because
they could have”. Charlie’s innocence adds a fresh touch to his romance. One of
the best quotes from the book that readers can relate to is- “we accept the
love we think we deserve”. Bill tells this to Charlie, who tells it to Sam in
trying to explain the dynamics of love. The usual predators of teenage romance
affect the lives of Charlie and his friends; there’s jealousy, cheating,
commitment issues and unrequited love. What makes it a better read than the
average, soppy love story is Charlie’s perspective. His friends and family are
depicted as real people with stories of their own, rather than characters who
circle around his life dropping in now and then to make a comment here or to
proceed the story in some direction that only works out in Charlie’s best
interests.
Another beautiful
relationship in the book is between Sam’s step brother Patrick and our
protagonist. Charlie is impressed by Patrick’s flamboyancy and easy to get
along nature. Patrick’s sexual preferences do not come in the way of Charlie’s friendship,
which is an important message to send out to children as well as adults. They are
both supportive of each other, they make memories that mean a lot to Charlie. In
his friendship with Patrick and Sam, Charlie finds endless joy because he feels
understood. They know each other better than the others in their group, as is
evident from the gifts they get each other or the songs they enjoy together.
Charlie looks up to
his older brother. And cares a ton for his elder sister, but doesn’t really
show it. They fight frequently, as siblings often do but are there for each
other where support is due. His family values education, right down from his maternal
grandfather who made sure his daughters got an education at the cost of them
fearing him for the rest of their lives. There is much mention of one Aunt
Helen and her death, but Charlie doesn’t tell us much else until the end. He was
close to his aunt and loved her dearly. She was the only other person apart
from his immediate family who got him two separate presents for Christmas and
his birthday(which happens to be on Christmas eve). The circumstances of her
death and his relationship with her are later revealed, which explain much of
his childhood and social problems. His awkwardness around people, his feeling
of not deserving to be loved come from deep rooted events in his past that he
has managed to suppress and somehow forget.
We learn how
difficult life has become for the growing teen, discovering friendship,
sexuality and the intricacies of family life. In this day and age, the problems
that young adults and teens experience are novel. Some say that these aren’t really
problems, as compared to world hunger, poverty or war. And on the human scale
of suffering it may seem irrelevant. But that doesn’t make it anything less
than suffering. The human soul suffers, in spite of all the material comforts
around. And that speaks volumes about where eventually the pursuit of happiness
and peace takes us.
