This would probably have to be one of the better coming-of-age novels. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This isn’t a book with the typical plot of the loser suddenly becoming the “cool” kid, which makes this book so much better. It’s has a more realistic approach to the “teenage life”, and doesn’t provide false hopes and ideals of what they want you to think high school is like, happy endings included. Yes, in some sense Charlie becomes the “cool” kid but not that typical popular kid every other loser in book turn into.
Just to summarise the book, Charlie is our protagonist, and is an ousider/a wallflower. He gets bullied from his peers at school, and his family and he’s only 16. What he doesn’t know is that his life is going to change the minute he starts high school.
So, Charlies story is told through a series of letters to this anonymous person. He tells this person EVERYTHING: school, family, friends, deepest emotions and especially his thoughts upon himself.
Charlie himself is a mystery. He has a mental problem where he gets extremely angry, sees/imagines things that aren’t entirely true and then passes out. Charlie had such a rough life though. Before he started high school, his best friend shot himself, prior to this, his most favourite person in the world, his Aunt Helen, who is killed in a car crash. Imagine how difficult you’re life would be if you lost the two most important people in your life?
He then becomes friends with Patrick and Sam who are both outsiders. They introduce Charlie to “good” music, parties, alcohol, drugs, love and most importantly, friendship.
What I really love about this book is that it is real. You aren’t shown what you want to see, but instead you sees what is really happening in front of you. Stephen Chbosky has done a superb job at this.
I recently watched the movie and I liked it. It was able to capture and portray all the emotions seen in the book. Even though their were a few changes, which was expected, it didn’t go completely off-track. For once, the film AND the book were both great. Usually it’s only one or the other (except for Harry Potter).
This is definitely a book both teenagers and adults can read. As a teen, you are exposed to the reality of the world you are living in and what lies ahead. As an adult, you are sent back to your teenage years, reliving your life almost.
j.x
Book Review 