The Perks of Being a Wallflower

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is a book that describes a young man's search for his own personal identity in the face of death while also having to deal with the problems of high school social pressure, sexual exploration among himself and his friends, and his own dysfunctional family. It has all of the ingredients to be a book that I love, but I only give it Two out of five stars. Why? Read on to find out more.

This book tells the story of Charlie, a freshmen in high school who is socially awkward because of the dramatic tensions that have taken place at his school and with his family. Eventually, he meets Sam and Patrick who eventually teach him to be less awkward. I wish I could give you more details about these characters and who they are, but this book is so devoid of details that I cannot remember any major points about them. There are very few details about who they are, what their personalities are like, or any physical description. I realize that the writing style may try to reflect the “Realism” of high school where a person is defined by their actions and their physical description isn't as important. I also realize that, if I were writing this as a freshmen in high school, I'd probably write in this same way. However, i expect better from published authors. I know that is may be used so that the reader can identify with the main characters, but I expect writers to be able to describe a person to me and make that person seem real to me as opposed to making them forgettable.

There are also plot points in this novel that have seemingly little to do with the overall theme or narrative of the story to me. While it is true that these events have some overall influence on the main character, I personally couldn't find out what they were, nor how Charlie changed do to these events by the end of the story.

Finally, I come to the main problem of this novel, and perhaps why I am so indifferent to it. On the back, it say that this novel “will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.” I believe that this novel was not meant for me (a student in college). Instead, it was meant for a person who wishes to relive the times of growing up in high school. Do not misunderstand me, I believe that this type of a story can work, but the writing style and description simply does not have the gravity to achieve what it is trying to accomplish. That said, I can see a good story written here, but it simply is not told very well. That is why I give it a two out of five.