The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

"Reminiscent of Go Ask Alice, we see Charlie's life through the form of letters written to an anonymous friend. And akin to Go Ask Alice it had a curb-ball in there that completely blindsided me. I can see why it's a modern classic because there were some truly quotable moments but overall I was generally underwhelmed."

⭐⭐

Pros: Chbosky's truth about how we all have an ending, it's up to us whether it's good or bad, definitely stuck.

Cons: Charlie’s awkwardness is painful/It took awhile for me to get used to the flow of seeing Charlie's life through the letters/Charlie came off as flat and emotionless though all he seemed to do was cry/That plot twist 3/4s of the way through the book hit me completely by surprise.

Full Review:

Charlie is quiet and observant. The book is told in the form of letters to an anonymous person that Charlie was told was "nice and would listen." And he goes on to start the story of his life, when he was in Middle School. A friend of his, Michael had committed suicide and everyone asked Charlie if he wanted to talk about it.

He doesn't really. He doesn't really want to talk about anything. That's why he's writing these letters.

It took awhile for me to get used to the rhythm of the letters and honestly, I didn't keep up with the dates. I was interested in Charlie's story, wondering where it would go. For the most part it was your typical coming of age, reminiscent of Go Ask Alice, but, the wicked plot curb ball that bounced off my skull in the last quarter of the book had me blinking and wondering if I'd mis-read.

And with that life altering twist, the story takes on a much darker tone. I honestly didn't see that coming in the slightest and there's a very good chance that I'm just oblivious. Despite the complete 180 the book took near the end, it did have moments of truth. That we all have an end, it's up to us to decide whether it's good or bad.

Comments

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"Though dark, disturbing and at times, truly disgusting, Blakemore has created an unforgettable character in Tarare and his sad, sordid tale. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time for many different reasons and to me, that's a sign of a great read." ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ Pros: Tarare wasn't a monster, it just seemed that the world was against him/I liked Lozeau and his strange band of misfits/Dr. Dupuis seemed like a genuinely good person, or at least, he had his moments. Cons: Some of the timeline/people of the French Revolution were just white noise to me/Courville was a despicable man. Full Review: The Bottomless man, the Glutton of Lyon, Tarare the Terrible. The man who has many titles but who's name is simply, Tarare, is dying in a hospital in Versailles. Citizen Doctor Tissier has written to his friend, Dupuis, in hopes that he'll be able to cure this mysterious illness that plagues Tarare. For now though, he lays, chained to his bed and waits for...

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