The first words that come to mind when I think of The Perks of Being a Wallflower are “simple” and “beautiful”. The novel, written by Stephen Chbosky, follows the protagonist, Charlie, as he writes letters about his first high school experiences to an unknown friend.
The writing style is simple. We’re in the head of a fifteen-year-old boy, which isn’t a place I WANT to be per se, but he’s an aspiring writer with an interesting outlook. Charlie himself can be described as socially awkward and naïve, but he’s also very caring and genuine. The combination makes being in his head a nice place to be, most of the time. His language avoids the flowery nature of some YA novels and further lacks embellishment, but occasionally there’s a sentence that will make you pause. One instance I can remember is Charlie says he lays down, puts a pillow over his head, and “lets the quiet do its job”. I thought about that one for a minute.
While the language in the book is rather simple, there’s a profundity to Charlie that’s quite stunning. Charlie describes things in a way that makes you feel involved in the descriptive process. He likes to work out the proper description as he writes, so we often follow him as he finds the truest words. By the time he reaches his end goal, we’ve been along for the whole ride, so we really feel what he means. When he says he feels “infinite”, we know why he feels that way, and we feel “infinite” too. I think that’s really beautiful.
One especially unique thing about the writing style of this novel is that we can piece together things before Charlie does. He often writes about how his friends react to his actions or mannerisms while adding that he doesn’t understand why they react that way. The thing is, we can usually figure out why, and a lot of those are “oh” moments. Sometimes it’s an “ohhhh”, as something that’s been nagging us clicks into place. Sometimes it’s an “oh!”, like a sudden realization. Sometimes it can be a sad “oh”, as we see a bigger meaning that escapes Charlie’s innocent mind, and sometimes it’s just an “oh, Charlie,” like you’re shaking your head.
Personally, I love books with “oh” moments. It means the book is making you think because you’re figuring out something without the author (or character) explicitly telling you. These moments make you a participant of the story, and a main theme in The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about being an active participant in your own life. It’s really quite clever.
Although I’ve described the novel as “simple”, it deals with several complex themes. They only seem so accessible because they’re funneled through Charlie, who has one of the purest minds I’ve seen in a character. I applaud Chbosky for this technique because it serves as a genuine introduction of hard to address topics like underage drinking, drugs, sex, depression, and suicide. There’s no judgement surrounding any of the themes, it’s only us following Charlie’s journey to understand.
Charlie is really just trying to figure out life. He’s non-judgmental and rarely takes a hard stance on anything. Rather, he likes to muse over a topic with the reader as his listener before coming to what I like to call a “soft” conclusion. This allows us to see Charlie growing as a person throughout the novel, but also shows that there is ample room for him to continue growing since he is still only a teenager. Already we can see his defining trait is his abundance of empathy for others, which comes from his tendency to watch and observe rather than take action. Throughout the novel he has to learn that his empathy shouldn’t come at the expense of his own needs.
There are a lot of ups and downs in this book, especially concerning Charlie’s mental illness. This depiction of a mentally ill character is one that will likely strike a chord with most people. Chbosky also does a great job giving a glimpse through Charlie and his family what life is like with a mentally ill person. Because Charlie pays such close attention to those around him, we can see how his family and friends have adapted to his situation. This is a novel rich in love, but also rich in heartbreaking moments, which makes it a most bittersweet ride.
Now, I’m going to say something extremely controversial. The book is great, and my library copy was only 212 pages, so you should absolutely read it.
BUT.
If you have a long reading list and you love watching movies, you could get away with only watching the movie in this case. I have seen the movie several times, and while some scenes are different from the book, and the movie itself isn’t as nuanced, it’s an excellent adaptation. I’m not exaggerating either, Stephen Chbosky himself was in charge of the whole thing.
The book is very well done, but for an adult it’s not likely to address themes you haven’t already been exposed to, and it’s probably about an eighth grade reading level. I say that in terms of language, not necessarily the themes of the book. So, while I recommend you read it anyway because it’s a quick read, if you watch the movie instead I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with that choice.
Either one could leave you feeling infinite.
The Lit Wiz