Up, down, and all around

After a tragic spring, Charlie is starting his freshman year of high school over. He chooses to cope by sending a series of letters to a random recipient detailing his ups and downs, his thoughtful observations about the people he meets and what makes them tick. A natural loner, Charlie nevertheless has a good heart and the patience of a saint. He tries to do the right thing for his sister, who is in an unhealthy relationship, and for his dad, whose hard outer shell hides his deep love for his family. Then Charlie meets Sam and Patrick, a pair of step-siblings who seem to get Charlie right away. Even though Charlie quickly develops a crush on the unattainable Sam and still sticks out like a sore thumb, for the first time in his life he doesn’t care. Not since the passing of his aunt Helen has Charlie found someone who understands him so effortlessly. This year, high school might turn out all right for Charlie … even if it still throws plenty of curve balls his way.

This is one of those books that takes the reader a long, long time to process. When reviewers talk about books that “stay with you,” they’re describing something exactly like The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s not just the immediacy of the prose, or the clear, straightforward thoughts of a kind and questioning main character. And it’s not just the turn of events, some smaller than others, or the revelations that slow spin out of a subtly evolving plot. And it’s not just Charlie himself, the sort of unassuming boy who exists in the background, keeping his thoughts to himself unless someone asks him to open up. Chbosky exudes a wisdom in his exploration of Charlie, building upon layers of observations to create a fascinating character study. He makes an interesting choice to never show Charlie’s reactions (since he’s not the kind of person to notice), instead having the other characters’ interactions with Charlie give us the insight we need. You would think that having a main character give us his thoughts and feelings directly would make this a simple read, but you’d be wrong. It’s an easy read, and a great read, but never a simple one.

One reoccurring motif of the book is abuse: emotional, physical, parental, relationship, etc. Everyone has suffered in one way or another, including nearly every member of Charlie’s family. The book even begins with one of Charlie’s friend committing suicide. It sounds like it’s capital-S serious, and … well, yeah. But Chbosky illustrates, through Charlie, that we can accept this and live with it, and be happy if we choose to. Everyone can get better with the help of a good support system.

Writing this review was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. The truth is, I didn’t know how to begin writing this, and now I can’t decide how to finish it. Charlie’s story means a lot to me, although I feel compelled to admit that I haven’t experienced any of the struggles he does. His story ends, but in my head he keeps going. He’s just a really cool guy who won’t ever realize how cool he is … and at the same time, his lack of awareness is part of what makes him Charlie.

Rating: 5 songs by the Smiths out of 5.