The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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.This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, andThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

I actually feel like there is something wrong with me because every friend of mine who has read this book really liked it and rated it 4 or more stars but I just couldn't love it. I was underwhelmed with this book. I can give three main reasons why I feel this way, too.

One, is the main character. Charlie is a 15 year old boy who is about to start high school in the beginning of the book. This is unbelievable while reading it. For being 15, Charlie is incredibly naive to life and the world. He also seems to have some sort of emotional handicap. I even thought he might have aspergers at one point. Charlie was set up to be this incredibly intelligent kid, who was in AP classes, whose teacher gave him extra assignments and even said he was the most intelligent people he has ever met. Yet, he didn't know about basic things that teenagers, who grow up in normal families in normal cities going to normal public schools, know and cried at the drop of a hat. He grew through the story and in the end we find out the reason why he acts this way, to an extent, but it still wasn't realistic to me.

Reason two, I wasn't thrilled about this book was, while reading it, you get a very 60s/70s feel from it when, in fact, it is set in the early 90's. If it weren't for the date being posted at the top of each letter I would never have guessed it was set post 1980.  It had such a hippy feel to it that I wouldn't and don't associate with the early 90's.

Finally, reason number three. Every single "controversial" issue that teenagers could go through, including homosexuality, drug use and sexual abuse (just to name a few), was in this book to bring out your emotions. Because of the overuse and the narrative, though, I didn't feel much of anything emotionally. I actually felt used. Like Chbosky was trying to exploit my emotions to make me love his novel. Books making me feel cheap and used do not make the top of my list.

Despite all these things, the writing isn't bad. There are a few great characters, Patrick in particular and some of the story is quite good. The growth in all the characters was great to read about. It will never top my list of favorite books, though.

2.5 out of 5 stars