The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Published by MTV Books)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the story of a teenage boy, Charlie, young and naive; an outsider, a typical wallflower. It is written in the form of letters (an epistolary novel) to an anonymous person who Charlie believes will listen to and support him. These letters are like a form of security for him. Charlie is sixteen years old and when he starts high school; his life changes forever.

Charlie meets new friends Sam and Patrick who encourage his ambitions to be a writer and as the book goes on we discover his past. His English teacher is a big part of the story; he challenges Charlie to read more books and to write essays.We also learn more about his family and his older sister, who it seems takes advantage of her boyfriends and tosses them aside. He looks up to his brother, the football star, as most of the family do.

Charlie is a mystery himself and has mental health problems; he gets angry easily. Sam and Patrick introduce Charlie into a whole new word: drugs, parties and good music. He discovers what it means to have real friends.

Stephen Chbosky makes you laugh and cry at the same time. He writes in such a way that you can understand human emotions because the book is so authentic. Charlie feels like a friend, someone you can relate to. With every turn of the page there is a surprise. The book shows how teenagers are constantly trying to figure out what life really is. Reading this as  a teenager inspired me. It's not the predictable kind of story, but it's definitely one that you'll love. I would recommend this to anyone young and old.