The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand."

I've read this book, about a total of 5 times, since the 6th grade. And every time I finish it, I'm just a little bit sad, because I feel like I read it too quickly, but at the same time, I feel sort of complete, since I got something different out of the book. It happens every time, guaranteed.

This book is about this kid named Charlie, starting out in his first year of high school. He starts out with no friends and is somewhat of a loner. Although, not long into the school year he develops friendships with a few older students that go to his school, as well as his English teacher, Bill. Bill continuously is giving Charlie books to read outside of school, because Bill knows that Charlie is very intelligent and uses his mind in an extraordinary way. Charlie is not just like anyone. He is different and his friends notice it as well. Charlie picks up on things around him and notices small things that most wouldn't think twice about; he keeps quiet to himself about these things he picks up on; and he understands them and is able to grasp them in his mind, thus making him like a "wallflower". Charlie simply is trying to understand the complex world around him and make sense of things.

This book is written in the form of a journal with letters written by Charlie to "someone" who he says should remain unknown, making it appear as though he is writing to a real person. I really like it this way, because it gives the book a unique feel and puts the perspective of the story in a whole different light. Therefore, the whole story is told through Charlies eyes, and with him being a "wallflower" just makes the story that much better. Charlie is a great character, I think anyone could read this book and relate to Charlie's different high school experiences and how he feels about the world around him.

There really wasn't much I didn't like about this book. I enjoyed reading it front to end. The ending though, does get me a little peeved, because it does just kind of seem to END, and a lot of questions are left to be answered and assumed by the reader. The epilogue ties things together and puts some of the missing pieces of the puzzle together, but like i said, the ending is fairly abrupt. I feel that the ending made the book what it is, and really worked well with the story.

Sigh.
In a way, I kind of love Charlie.
His way of thinking, and his innocence,
just makes me feel some type of way.