A review by ylle
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes

5.0

I knew this was going to be a 5 star read from the first page or so. The book being written as letters really ads something. I loved all the music being mentioned and all the great quotable things being said. 

Throughout the story we get to know the 15-year-old boy Charlie. And up to the last few pages or so, it feels like that’s all there is. A teenager doing the typical teenager stuff. Learning the complexity of relationships, both romantic and platonic. Getting high and getting drunk. You get glimpses of something not being right, not quite normal. Mentions of doctors and “episodes” happening again.
It’s in those last pages that everything really falls into place, the penny drops so to speak. Suddenly the book goes from a “light-hearted” coming of age novel, to a very deep and real story about sexual assault at an early age. And how the mind really processes that.
 

Finishing the book, felt similar to finishing a really good thriller movie. Everything suddenly falls into place and it all makes sense. I feel the urge to reread it all, with this new information. When I didn’t think it could get any better, it gave such a plot twist I really couldn’t have foreseen. It’s safe to say I won’t forget this book in the near future.
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