The Perks of Being a Wallflower (book review)
This isn’t a new review, though it is making its Substack debut. It was originally posted to my old Goodreads profile on January 13, 2014. I hope you enjoy it.
**
What have I just read?? From our initial introduction to Charlie to his tumultuous middle, and culminating in what some have called "the perfect ending," Stephen Chbosky has created some of the most realistic and heartwarming characters I've had the pleasure of meeting in a very, VERY long time.. perhaps ever. Almost all of his characters of finely tuned machines, but none so lovely and imbued with life as our protagonist, Charlie. In him, I felt like I've know him for years, or my whole life, and that's largely due to the many similarities we share. I could relate to him on a level I'd never experienced before. And probably never will. In fact, it felt like he trusted me enough to bare his soul to me courtesy of his sometimes deeply personal, always profound letters. Taking things a step further, I felt like the author was inexplicably telling my story. That is how real Perks felt (and still feels) to me! And now, having said good-bye, or "see ya later," as Sam would say, I miss Charlie and the gang greatly... my heart longs to be with them once again...
I'm speechless. To say any more would not only spoil this beautiful novel, but somehow diminish its strength, because 'less is more.' I will, however, leave you with my absolute favorite passage of the entire book. It's also some of the most exquisite and frankly, stunning writing I've ever read!"There's something about that tunnel that leads to downtown. It's glorious at night. Just glorious. You start on one side of the mountain, and it's dark, and the radio is loud. As you enter the tunnel, the wind gets sucked away, and you squint from the lights overhead. When you adjust to the lights, you can see the other side in the distance just as the sound of the radio fades to nothing because the waves just can't reach. Then, you're in the middle of the tunnel, and everything becomes a calm dream. As you see the opening get closer, you just can't get there fast enough. And finally, just when you think you'll never get there, you see the opening right in front of you. And the radio comes back even louder than you remember it. And the wind is waiting. And you fly out of the tunnel onto the bridge. And there it is. The city. A million lights and buildings and everything seems as exciting as the first time you saw it. It really is a grand entrance."
"And in that moment, I swear we were infinite!"Rating: 5/5 stars