Book Review: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

 I think this is the first book so far that I am not sure how I feel about. It’s just that generally to me this book was quite a disappointment. I had heard mostly positive comments about it before I picked it up, and I was quite mesmirized while reading the first, say, twenty pages or so. But then again, it’s nothing special. The author breaks one of the first writers’ rules - don’t tell, show, and even though it is said that Charlie is sixteen years old, the whole time I had the feeling I was reading something written by a twelve-year-old. It was too simple sometimes, and at some moments I felt utterly lost in what was happening. I was really hoping to hear more about that Michael friend because he is described as a very important person for Charlie. Unfortunately, there are only few moments where he is mentioned, and you can’t make anything out of them except that Michael was important. Another thing that particularly bugged me were those Superman and Einstein outburts. The whole time I was imagining some little introverted kid (and there would have been nothing wrong with it), and then out of the blue he becomes a professional wrestler and “one of the brightest people” Bill has ever met. It just doesn’t feel natural!

I think the thing I hate the most is that The Perks of Being a Wallflower could have been a really good book. The author has obviously put a lot of thought in it, he has come to some conclusions and ideas which are quite extraordinary, and had he picked his narrator better (or perhaps portrayed him a little better), it could have really been a marvellous read. What I truly loved about it, though, is that you are not directly told what has happend - you have to think of it yourself, and that get’s you more into the book and into its story. I liked that it was letter-like, but I don’t really think that last addressing part was necessary - it’s just that this “Dear friend” in the beginning of each letter made it feel as if it were written exactly for you and for everyone that has ever read the book, and that statement in the end saying that he heard somebody talking about you, in my opinion, could have and should have been omitted because it more or less breaks that bond that was created because it makes you think how far away you actually are from the character and the story.