Anyway, I'm ready to begin my first official book review on one of my favourite books of all time. I'm pretty sure all of you know about "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" because it really is an inspiring, must read book of all time. It was so good until it released a film adaption on September 8, 2012 and the movie is also really good.
If those who don't know what the book is entirely all about or those who heard the name of the book but don't really know much about the content, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is set in the early 1990s and it centers around an eponymous wallflower, whose name is Charlie as he adapts through out his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. Charlie is actually a really shy and unpopular teenager, but deep down, he's actually a really intelligent and kind-hearted person. He often write letters to a friend about his true feelings about school, his friends and family, and the things that he observed on-and-off about them.
The story starts off with him telling this friend of his through a letter about a suicide committed by his best friend, Michael, and he wished that he could at least write a note before he past away but he didn't. To me, the first letter had already got me hooked with the story because it's really emotional. When I was reading "The Fault in Our Stars" (Another book I would be writing about on my book review list), this book actually came up to my mind because of the emotional scenes that were in the book so I actually re-read it after I finished "The Fault in Our Stars" and I recently just finished re-reading it and it definitely brought me back to memory lane. Alright, back to the story, Charlie eventually befriended a senior named Patrick, who is actually gay and he is secretly dating a football player for the school named Brad. Patrick is often referred as "Nothing", which Charlie referred as in his letter before actually knowing him, because kids used to tease him in middle school like calling him Patty, so Patrick would always tell these kids, "Listen, you either call me Patrick, or you call me nothing." And that's how he got "Nothing" as a name, but Charlie never called him that. Patrick eventually introduced Charlie to his step-sister, Sam. At the moment they met, he has this deep-affection and attraction towards Sam but kept quiet about it because Sam is already in a relationship with another guy named Craig, who is actually few years senior than her. He is absorbed into their group of friends and begins to control flashbacks and the emotions he has harboured about his aunt Helen involving in a fatal car accident for getting him his birthday gift on his birthday. Charlie eventually found out about the relationship between Patrick and Brad after walking into their room unintentionally and found them kissing, but promised to keep it as a secret due to Brad doesn't want anyone to know. Charlie also gave his first kiss to Sam because she wants him to give his first kiss to someone who loves him for who he is unlike her who gave it to his father's friend when she was only seven years-old. Still harbouring feelings for Sam, Charlie soon pursues a relationship with Mary Elizabeth, an outspoken member in their group, but her obsessions and behaviours are starting to annoy him. So in a game of truth-or-dare, Charlie was dared by Patrick to kiss 'the prettiest girl in the room' and he eventually kissed Sam without any hesitation which resulted the end of their relationship and friendship with the group except for Bob, who still occasionally sold drugs to him due to him having flashbacks about his aunt again. After spending weeks alienated by the group, one day, during lunch, Patrick was involved in a fight with Brad after being called "Nothing" and "Faggot" and was soon attacked by Brad's football players, when Charlie intervenes by stopping the attackers and soon finds himself reconnecting with the group including Sam and Mary Elizabeth. When high school ended for the seniors, Charlie is helping Sam pack-up for college and they eventually discussed about his feelings for her, which caused Sam to become angry and emotional as he had never said anything about it. They kissed, and as she touches his inner thigh, he stops her, but he doesn't really know why. That night itself, he dreamed of his aunt Helen touching him, the way that Sam did. The next day, he experiences a flood of emotions where he is bombarded by memories of his aunt Helen touching him, and begins to break down - shortly signing off to his anonymous friend. In the epilogue, it emerges that his aunt Helen had sexually abused him, on a weekly basis when he was little, but his love for her caused him to repress these memories. Charlie is admitted to the same hospital he was placed in at age 7 after his aunt Helen's death, remains in a catatonic state for a week. He then spends several months in the hospital where he comes to terms with his past, saying that "even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there". He signs off with "So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough. And I will believe the same about you. Love always, Charlie." And that's pretty much about it.
I really enjoy the way Charlie narrates the story by writing letters to this mystery friend of his, he doesn't really talk bad about anyone and is really honest about everything even though sometimes he doesn't really revealed too much information on that certain someone. Furthermore, I also enjoyed the way he expressed his feelings on certain things, especially about love. I know the popular saying from the movie is "We Accept the Love We Think We Deserve", which actually came from the book, I preferred this saying, "And in that Moment, I Swear We were Infinite." Other than having a psychopath aunt, I think we're all related to Charlie somehow, in your own way.
Anyway, I do highly-recommend this book and rate this book as 4.5/5. Too be honest, I love re-reading books because it often takes me back to certain moments in my life. I actually re-read it for like three times now because it really is an inspiring and life-changing book about life and love. If you don't have this book yet, you should head to your nearest book store RIGHT NOW and BUY IT.
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| The First Edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. |
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The Second Edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky before the film was released; Also the first edition I bought before the film cover was released.
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| The Back Cover of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". |
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| The Film Cover also Third Edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky; Also the Second Edition I bought after the film was released. |
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British actress, Emma Watson, with her edition of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" for the preparation of her role as Sam in the film adaption.
Now that the Book Review of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is completed, I can now move on to the five books I recently purchased:
- Dead Reckoning by Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill
- Letters From a Nut's Family Tree by Ted L. Nancy
- The Hypnotists by Gordon Korman
- The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
- The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix
I'm still currently reading "Dead Reckoning"...very slowly...because I don't really enjoy the first few pages when the authors are introducing about the main protagonist. It's a bit confusing, but I won't give up on this book simply because I don't find the introduction interesting so I'll give it a second chance. Anyway, if you have already read about these books, do comment on the comment section below on your thoughts about the book.
Thanks for reading! We'll see each other very soon!
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