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Perks of Being A Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

 


Started: Thursday 14th July 2022

Finished: Saturday 16th July 2022

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️


Another book where I watched the film first but many years ago and subsequently, bought the book which sat on my bookshelf until this week.


Perks of Being A Wallflower is a series of letters written by Charlie, 15 years old and learning what it is to be a teenager. 


From early on, it’s clear that he doesn’t feel like a typical teenager. His descriptions about his feelings and how he perceives the social situations around him may purposely written in a way to make the reader believe that he experiences neuro divergence but this is never confirmed in the book.  


His writing matures throughout the letters, possibly a nod to the reading projects he’s set by Bill, a teacher at his school but also his confidence growing owed to his friendship with Sam and Patrick. 


He grows as a person over the course of the writing, including his understanding of social cues and theories behind why people are the way they are. 


I needed to read other reviews to articulate my view on this book. Did I like it? Yes but more because of the way the story was handled than the story itself. It was awkward and fumbling. But it was believable - I could imagine Charlie as a person and I could believe that the way he wrote those letters was how he would naturally write. 


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