'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky

 

'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' front cover

'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky - Review

*TRIGGER WARNING: suicide, mental illness, death, trauma, sexual abuse*

*There are some SPOILERS MARKED*

Description

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. 

Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix-tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

Goodreads Rating: 4.20        My Rating: 4.3

First Impressions

I have heard SOOO many good things about 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' for years through bookstagram, friends, and the internet in general but never actually got around to reading it OR watching it! Shocking, right? But, that does mean I got to start without spoilers and an open mind about what it would be like and what was going to happen!

The book is split into parts and is set out as a series of letters from Charlie to ''Friend'' which made reading so much easier and fluid. I could set myself X amount to read in a sitting without bombarding myself with too much, it really gave me time to digest the story. In the first part, we meet Charlie and his family, as well as Sam and Patrick. It is clear that Charlie's family have an unspoken secret going on, which I assume will be revealed near the end, and that Charlie is suffering with his own mental illness as a result of his best friend committing suicide. Sam and Patrick are step-siblings that take Charlie under their wing, but also have their own issues which are slowly revealed during the course of the book...

The Characters 

Charlie's journey throughout the book is so important to learn about and is done quite well, I think. Loneliness, anxiety, PTSD, deteriorating mental health as a result of trauma: although they aren't really explicitly said, you can pick up on them as the reader and try to understand what he would have been thinking or feeling at different moments, or why he did certain things. 

Sam was fairly complex, too, and had experienced her own traumatic experiences as a child which had gained some sort of control over her life before Charlie came along, but she had built her strength back up again and I really respected that. She is straight-forward, loyal to her friends, and compassionate towards others. 

Patrick's character was so easy to love since he was so caring and funny, despite still having his own battles too. It was nice to have a gay character without them being the typical gay best-friend or having a cliche arc, so Patrick just seemed all the more REAL. I could hurt when he was hurt, smile when he was happy, and hoped the best for his future! 

Other Characters...  *spoilers*

There were lots of characters that each brought something new to the novel and made an impact on Charlie's life! Bill (Mr Anderson) was a friend to Charlie when he was alone, and continued to provide that stability and support for him right through to the end of the book. Brad was so frightened to be openly gay since he was surrounded by homophobic friends and family, he struggled with a drinking problem for a while and really hurt Patrick by calling him a slur in front of the whole school after Brad's father found out about their secret relationship. Mary Elizabeth was very overwhelming for Charlie, and I don't think she understood him enough or took the time to learn what he liked and did not like, hence why their short relationship ended the way it did!

Final Thoughts

*spoilers*

In the final part of the book, we know that Charlie begins to spiral downwards and black out lots more before eventually realising that he was molested by his Aunt Helen and blamed himself for her death as she told him she was going to get a present for him. It was heart-breaking to be revealed, but really important. The epilogue is Charlie speaking about being in hospital again and getting better as well as all of his visitors during this time, which was a weight lifted from my shoulders to know that he would be getting the help he needed and deserved and was supported by his friends and family too!

Conclusion

'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' was a great book that had a wide range of characters with their own battles which were so significant for readers to learn about and perhaps not feel alone in their troubles. I think there were tonnes of lessons within the story to be perceived in whichever way the reader needs them. It was such a captivating novel and I definitely didn't want to put it down once I had started it! 

I also watched the movie adaptation once I had finished the book, starring Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam, and Ezra Miller as Patrick. There were so many great things about the film that I loved in the book, such as the infinite moments and Patrick turning to Sam while he was feeling down. I would have loved to have seen the relationship between Charlie and his siblings a little bit more in the movie because it hurt my heart and melted it at the same time! 

There was a quote from the back end of the book which I absolutely adored that I'll finish off my review with - it's SO important.

''So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can still try to feel okay about them.'' - The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky.

Let me know what you think! :)