"Be ready to strap yourselves in for Chobsky's roller-coaster ride of emotions"
Dealing with those awkward moments during our adolescence, Stephen Chbosky's debut novel does for teenagers, what Purple Hibiscus did for the shy, isolated and lonely demographic. It must be said that both novels share many similarities; they are each their respective authors' first work, the narrators are both teenagers and they share the themes of love, maturity and change.
That said though, Chobosky's work is entirely different from that of his contemporary. We follow Charlie, the narrator and freshman at his school. through a series of letters addressed to us. From the outset, we are given an inkling of Charlie's separation from his peers; detailing how we will listen and understand, whilst at the same time, not doing this only so that we can sleep with someone.
It is this sense of desperation to know that people like us exist which prompts us to acknowledge that there is a lot of mistrust and broken promises in Charlie's encounters with other people. We immediately pity him, and the very fact that he entrusts us with his deepest and most touching secrets helps add a personal dimension to the story, We hold a connection towards Charlie, we begin to form a close bond with him, and eventually we feel what he feels, we experience what he experiences and we want what he wants.
For instance, Charlie's one and only friend early in the novel commits suicide. Inevitably leaving Charlie down and distraught. He is a emotionally fraught teenager, and with news of this magnitude, one can only expect Charlie to go through a downward spiral of regret, hurt and depression. What bothers him the most though is the fact that he couldn't understand why Michael would do such a thing. The counselor has suggested that it may very well be to do with problems at home, but Charlie dismisses this for he 'could have talked to me'.
To add salt into the wounds, this incident wasn't the only one in which he has lost a loved one. Charlie recounts how his Aunt Helen, his 'favourite person in the whole wide world', passed away and blames himself for her death.
Moments such as these are when you feel like screaming into the book, telling Charlie that it isn't his fault and that he shouldn't make too much of it. Parallels can be drawn with a viewers reaction to a TV programme or a movie, revealing just why Chbosky's is both also a screen writer and film director.
The epistolary style was, initially and admittedly, rather grating at first because it proved to break up the flow of the novel. It made it hard to immerse yourself into the narrative, but given time, this feeling subsides allowing you to enjoy the novel. In fact, you begin to realise that far from being an hindrance, the epistolary style actually helps convey the story more realistically. Taking into account that Charlie is a wallflower; someone who listens, observes and understands, but doesn't standout, the style acts as a means of communication between him and the reader.
Upon reading further into the novel, we are confronted with the many trials and tribulations that he faces. When Charlie befriends Patrick and Samantha (Sam), he is educated on the intricacies of relationships. Whilst holding strong feelings for Sam, opening up to her with this, she let's him know clearly that he is too young for her.
Far from resulting in their relationship breaking down from this revelation, it indeed seems to have made it stronger due to the honest and straight-to-the-point approach.
As Charlie's friendship becomes stronger and stronger with Patrick and Sam, he is led into their inner circle of friends and is invited to various parties. It is at one of these events where he discovers Patrick 'fooling around' with the school's football player, Brad. Soon enough, Charlie understands what is happening and realises that some things must be kept a secret from the world as they are not ready to accept it just yet.
Along with attending parties, Charlie also watches them perform regular dramatisations of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. He becomes involved more and more in their lives and others too, helping Mary Elizabeth, the editor of a journal, write it. This leads him to become closer to her, and eventually, they go on their first date. It is at this point where Charlie is in utter bliss because he feels important - he is a part of people's lives and plays some value in them.
Although this moment doesn't last as Charlie struggles to keep his frustrations in check. He is in a one sided relationship with Mary Elizabeth who dominates the conversations and fails to value Charlie as a partner. Which inevitably leads to him looking for a way out of it.
However our hearts pour out for Charlie as he picks the worst moments to reveal his pent up anger and frustrations. During a game of truth or dare with his friends, Patrick challenges Charlie to kiss the prettiest girl in the room, to which Charlie chooses to snub Mary Elizabeth and instead opts for Sam. Needless to say, things erupt from there as Patrick suggests to Charlie that he should stay away for a while.
This makes Charlie alone, isolated and separated again. With no friends and hardly anyone to talk to, he reverts back to his previous self, struggling to cope and understand other people.
That is until he sees Patrick in need of help after being attacked by Brad and his football players. This incident instigates Charlie to instinctively jump to Patrick's aid, fending off his assailants and preventing any further harm from being done.
What happens from here on in is that Charlie is now able to endear himself to his friends again; is accepted to their circle and enjoy their company. Everybody forgives him now including Mary Elizabeth and Charlie realises that what matters most is not based on how important you are to others, but how important you are to yourself. He has learnt the value of self esteem and that, whilst his friends may not necessarily always be around with him, they will always be in his heart, in his thoughts and in his memories.
This is perhaps what Chbosky wants us to appreciate the most. That through maturity, through change, through this constant state of flux, the one thing that remains constant is the love that we hold and the love that others hold of us.
He doesn't hand it to us on a plate though, but instead spirits us away on the Charlie's journey through adolescence. Whilst at times it isn't easy for us; through the epistolary style breaking up the flow, to the simplistic language sounding repetitive - or Charlie; through the loneliness, the lack of love or the mistakes; one cannot doubt that these elements, these aspects only serve the purpose of creating the searing, intense, honest and raw emotions to which both we and Charlie experience.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower does what few novels are able to achieve - it provides a powerful tale, it illustrates the rough ride that is the teenage years, but most of all connects with the reader.
4/5
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