This book, written by Stephen Chbosky, is relatively well-known amongst young bookworms, but anyone who has been through high school (or secondary school as it’s called here in the UK) will be able to relate to this book. I had a very difficult secondary school experience; I was a wallflower, like Charlie. I (thought that I) was in love with someone that barely knew who I was, I wasn’t ever invited to parties and I was afraid to be assertive- I did what other people told me to and never made any bold moves. Reading did help me through secondary school, but the main character always became the centre of attention, somehow befriended the popular kids or fell in love with someone who loved them back. In short, the main character of most books, especially a large proportion of the books that I was reading at the time, were heroes. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was so refreshing because Charlie isn’t a hero. He doesn’t, like most protagonists in Young Adult fiction, start off as a wallflower and transform into a heroic, well-loved figure- he remains a wallflower for the entire book. This is what really makes it stand out from the rest of the coming-of-age fiction, for me at least.
In my opinion, one of the most poignant moments in the book- and there are a few- is when Sam tells Charlie that he can’t just be a shoulder to cry on- he’s got to be a pair of arms that can embrace someone and lips that can kiss someone. She tells him not to fear rejection, which a lot of people my age do, because if you like someone, you should kiss them, and if they don’t like it they can just tell you to stop. You’ve really got nothing to lose. It gave me a completely different perspective of things and made me stop living in fear of rejection. For me it is one of those rare books that comes along and changes your life.
nofriendasloyalasabook 