The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

I finished this book this morning and I thought it a notable debut by the author. Written in epistolary form, the reader becomes acquainted with adolescent Charlie through a series of letters that he writes to an anonymous "friend". What's revealed over the course of a year is a complicated and sometimes touching portrait of an ultra-sensitive and emotionally troubled young man whose primary coping skill is to conform to everyone else's expectations. I really liked this book. It's humorous, sad, and affecting and it kept my attention even when I was inclined to resist. I sometimes found Charlie's voice a bit incongruent with his age but nonetheless I still found his character believable. Rating, a 4.