The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

This 'coming-of-age' novel tells the story of Charlie, a naive and slightly unusal teenage boy, through his first year in high school. Having had a turbulent few years, losing his best friend to suicide and also losing his Aunt who he was very close to, Charlie has grown old before his time. This really comes across in his general approach to life.

Charlie is a very loveable character who is befriended by a couple of seniors from his school. He soon integrates into their social group and starts to have exciting and enlightening experiences. Adult themes are not shied away from, with this story tackling suicide, alcohol addicion, sex, drugs and homosexuality to mention a few.

Charlie puts his thoughts and experiences into open and frank letters which he sends to an anonymous recipient. These letters form the story that we read giving the novel a diary-like feel. The language used and experiences had really help us to get to know the protagonist and as a result I found myself rooting for him! Go Charlie!

In short, this book has all the themes you expect of a high school story with proms and house parties, but it shows the darker side of these things. It isn't a feel-good romance novel. There isn't the typical moral at the end and Chbosky didn't feel the need to tidy up all those loose ends and put a pretty bow on it. And that's why I like it!

I haven't seen this film yet, so would love to hear what you thought of it and how the book and film compare. Let me know!