Like many college kids, I am a sucker for any coming-of-age story. There’s something about the late-teen and early-adult years that yearns for a relatable story, and when I stumbled across Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, I was met with everything I loved in one of those novels.
Stephen Chbosky was born January 25, 1970, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is an American novelist, screenwriter, director, and producer best known for his influential coming-of-age work. Chbosky rose to fame with his classic 1999 novel “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”, a story exploring adolescence, mental health, and identity that became a popular modern reading staple. Chbosky later wrote and directed a film adaptation in 2012, earning praise for its emotional authenticity.
With relatability, raw emotion, and a protagonist you’re sure to fall in love with, the 1999 novel explores the heavy topics surrounding love, friendship, and trauma.
The novel is set in 1990s Pittsburgh, so for California PA natives, it’s easy to feel right at home between the pages. The story follows Charlie, a freshman in high school, who is shy, awkward, and often lost in his own thoughts. The entire novel is told through Charlie’s letters to an anonymous friend. This format caught me off guard at first, but as the book continued it felt natural, and in a lot of ways it feels like Charlie is writing letters to the reader. He shares intimate details about his experiences making friends, falling in love, and experiencing high school as a shy outcasted kid.
The novel explores heavy topics, including mental health disorders and several forms of abuse that the protagonist struggles with throughout the story, so it is important to do a little research and review trigger warnings before cracking open this book. However, Charlie’s story is an important one, and leaves the reader with a melancholy feeling, but also with an opportunity to reflect on the experiences that can shape the teenage mind, and how crucial those years are for developing a sense of self.
Through comical exchanges with friends, first experiences for the protagonist, and all the high-school awkwardness one can expect, Chbosky paints a beautiful picture of growth, introspection, and the idea of growing into your own life: becoming less of a wallflower and more of an active participant.
Rating: 4/5
Although a heavy read, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” tackles important themes for young people to consider all while stealing your heart through a sensitive Charlie, charismatic Patrick, and a kind-hearted Sam – all characters you’re sure to fall in love with.
