Book review on The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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.