Stephen Chbosky: "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" // Review

"Charlie is a freshman, and while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up."

 Many times I've seen this book compared to The Catcher In The Rye (you can read my review on that here if you don't mind how utterly damning it is), hell, it's even referenced on the front of my copy by USA Today, and I can understand why, although the only two things they really have in common are 1) a male protagonist and 2) an 'adventure' during their high-school years. In my opinion, Charlie is a much more likeable character than Holden, so if you didn't like The Catcher In The Rye then don't be put off of reading Perks just because the two have been compared. Charlie is a wonderful narrative voice. He may be fifteen, but he seems younger; knowing next to nothing about friendships or how stimulating life can be. Naïve and unknowing as he may be, Charlie is also innocent, mature, humble, caring and accepting, all at the same time.

This bildungsroman novel comes as Chbosky's first, which he began some time after he studied Filmic Writing in University. Through the use of letters to tell the story, which is otherwise known as an epistolary, Chbosky utilises his filmic knowledge well. The pacing is fast in some places and slow in others, depending on what and how much is happening - very much resembling a climax or an increase/decrease in tension as in a movie. It can also be quite philosophical in places, especially when Charlie comes across people who are different to him and must come to a conclusion about them. Through Charlie's experience with these people, this book tackles a number of taboo subjects, such as: domestic abuse, child abuse, alcohol abuse, rape, homosexuality, abortion and infidelity - but all in a manner in which it doesn't depress you. Sure, you may be sad for a few seconds but luckily Charlie dwells on nothing for long (apart from one revelation which is kept secret, even from himself, until the end). But, I can tell you now that Charlie reserves all judgement when it comes to the life choices of others, which is probably my favourite thing about his character.

I didn't find anything cheesy about this novel - okay, maybe sticking their heads out of the car roof in the tunnel was a bit cliché - but otherwise, the characters were all very real and make very separate impacts on the reader. His best friends, Sam and Patrick, were just as loveable as Charlie, despite their struggles. I have even heard that some people recommend this book to others when they're feeling depressed, because Charlie is so natural and relatable when problems arise that it helps them to cope. I think that's amazing.

Rating: ★★★1/2

ISBN: 978-1-84739-407-1

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Monday 26th May 2014 // Monthly Favourites

Within the past couple of days (now that AS exams are over and I actually have some free time) I've finally had time to rekindle some love for my favourite past-times. Yesterday I managed to see my best friend Jayson again, but other than that I've really been enjoying my own company. I don't know why. This means that I've spent quite a lot of time alone; whether it be watching movies, reading books, blogging, writing songs or whatever.

One thing I've rediscovered, is my love of Italy and all things Italian. I was having a discussion with a couple of college friends about what the hell I'm going to do if I fail my AS-Levels when I began to consider spending some time in Italy; which hadn't crossed my mind in a while. When I was quite young, I picked up a book called 'Pretty Face' by Mary Hogan, which I wouldn't recommend reading unless you're around 13-14, but nonetheless when I read it I became obsessed with a small town named Assisi, which is situated within the Umbria region of Italy. The book told the story of how a largely overweight girl was sent over to Italy (specifically, Assisi) where it was believed she could lose some weight. The main character managed this by climbing the mountain there every day in order to see her friend/boyfriend Enzo. It's all very gay but it's a lovely story to read if you're a young teenager, or if you just feel like falling in love with Assisi. Since then, I've had an overwhelming urge to visit Italy, and who knows, maybe even spend a portion of my life there. If I'm really gonna go all out on this 'all things Italian' point, I could also mention Marcus Butler's YouTube video "Drunk In Italy". I watched the video with a friend at a sleepover, and was amazed by the fact that they actually party in the streets! It's just that you wouldn't see a rave on the pavement in England, complete with strobe lights and everything, now, would you?

Leading on from this first point, I've also rediscovered my love for learning languages. Even before I read 'Pretty Face', I was well on my way to learning basic Italian, and a little bit more French. At this point I might only have been 8 or 9 years old. I was short of things to do at weekends so I attempted to learn Italian by reading a short children's Learn Italian book, and learning French via PC-CD ROM. Recently I realised that hardly any of either language has stuck in my head - if you asked me to speak a sentence in Italian I would have said something as simple as "Caio, amore mio" - and I can say even less in French. Annoyed at myself for letting it slip, I spoke to my friend Dan about it, who shares a passion for languages (though he's much more concerned with German). He was able to direct me to a free app on the Google Play store called 'Duolingo' which is extremely helpful for learning languages. I've been using the app for four days and I can already speak Italian to a Level 6 standard. It'll be vital that I learn at least some of the language if I want to stay in Italy long-term. If you're interested in learning a language, I highly recommend this app as you can go at your own pace, and you can choose whichever language you like. It also reminds you at intervals to keep up with studying at times when particular sections might be fading from your memory.

Something entirely new I discovered just over a month ago is Game of Thrones. I can't say with certainty that I know all the characters' names or that I understand all the story-lines because I have only seen from the end of Season 3, but I did fall in love with the Sixth Episode of Season Four: 'The Laws of Gods and Men,' where we begin to see (almost) everyone rally against Tyrion who is by far my favourite character. And I have to say *spoiler alert* "I DEMAND A TRIAL BY COMBAT!" was definitely the highlight of the season. I would love to read the books, but sadly I don't have any yet. Plus, I'm already started on two books, 'It's Kind Of A Funny Story' and House Of Night's 'Revealed,' as well as having purchased three books (including The Lovely Bones and Eragon) over the weekend. Surely, there'll be some book reviews coming your way soon.

Meaghan xx