Book Review: The Perks of Being A Wallflower

This book is one of those rare Bildungsroman novels that feels both intimate and devastating. I felt all the emotions despite the almost childlike and simple language Chbosky uses.

I am gradually making my way through some classics, and ‘The Perks of Being A Wallflower’ was next on the list. It was an enjoyable read, albeit some parts were quite sad, but I am a sucker for such realistic storytelling. So no complaints there.

This book is one of those rare Bildungsroman novels that feels both intimate and devastating.

I felt all the emotions despite the almost childlike, simple language Chbosky uses, which clearly depicts how a character like Charlie would write in his letters. He writes the way a thoughtful, wounded teenager might actually write—earnest, unfiltered, sometimes naïve, sometimes startlingly perceptive. That authenticity is one of the book’s emotional engines.

The Epistolary Format

Another is the fact that it is written in letters. I think the epistolary form works really well for the kind of narrative that this book presents. In my life as a reader, I have only come across a few epistolary novels with impressive execution, and this novel is now part of that list, up there with the likes of So Long A Letter, On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous, among others.

I enjoyed listening/reading it immensely and felt that the various characters, especially Charlie, were very much alive, human, and relatable—either as parts of a self you’ve encountered or as people you’ve interacted with. The emotions were genuine, and the attention to detail, particularly for a novel about a wallflower, is remarkable.

Exploring Trauma and Mental Health

Chbosky’s exploration of mental health, trauma, and repressed memory is another thing I liked about reading his Work. He handled it with a surprising amount of care. He doesn’t sensationalise the trauma, nor does he make a big show of it.

In fact, I think if you don’t pay close attention as a reader, you might miss the fact that he suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. And that this condition stems from childhood sexual abuse by his aunt Helen, combined with the guilt and trauma of her death and his best friend’s suicide.

It was beautiful (for want of a better word ) to see that this heavy subject is made to take the form of how Charlie deals with it—repressed, in the background.

Why the Themes still Work

And unlike some of its contemporaries, this coming-of-age novel is not about becoming popular or overcoming adolescence, but learning to feel, to live, to forgive, and to choose existence over disappearance. And so it speaks to anyone who has ever felt peripheral, too sensitive, or unsure of how to exist in the world. It is one of the reasons why this novel works.