Friday, December 12, 2014

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Book Review)

This book has been mentioned in different reading materials I encountered before. Finally I decided to read it and gave it the attention I withhold before. Why not when I consider myself as a wallflower in the past and it was even my friendster name. It was a codename that a few who cared knew.

Cover

This book is different from what I have in mind before. Instead of a female character, it was actually like a diary of a guy in a letter form. I initially thought it was a collection of advantages of being single. It shows that Charlie, the main character, is not the worst kind of wallflower at all. He’s actually lucky and has plenty of people who love him yet he feels lonely in some way.

It’s very easy to relate with especially that the time frame was during his freshman year. Being a first year student is such an unforgettable moment. It’s the first step towards a lot of changes and exposures while we leave the memories of our childhood years behind. It makes me remember the song of Taylor Swift, the “Fifteen”.

The loneliness really happens. You will just feel alone even when everyone is there. But the good thing is it will pass and you will be noticed again. The loneliness is only short lived even if it recurs. The thing is… keep participating. And that’s one of the lessons from this book. Life will continue.

It would be nice if this book ha a sequel to know how he copes up with the rest of his life after.

Despite all the scandals and the gloominess, there’s still an optimistic ending that waits. There’s enough lesson to learn but there are thing that shouldn’t be imitated from the book too. It’s a life from a foreign country and different from the conservative lifestyle in the Philippines. Here you have a lot more freedom in choosing the crowd you’ll join in. Nonetheless, there are still some similarities in how we felt during that precious year.

Recommend? Yes but No for those who are still young. This is rated PG and can give too much information for those who are not ready yet. I don’t know what effect it will have on me when I have access to this kinds of books in my early teens (back when I was still a good girl :D).

Rate: 4.5/5. Not a perfect score for the minor parts that I dislike. They smoke and they take drugs. They’re liberated.


2 comments:

  1. it's also about child abuse...that's why charlie can't explain some things about him

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That part of child abuse to Charlie is very vague to me... I even though that he was molested, by whom then? Or perhaps it's just nervous breakdown. Over the net they're hinting he is autistic.

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