The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
This is a book about high school, and friendship, and books, and mixed tapes, and parties, and love and sex. It’s disguised as a young adult novel, but Charlie, who narrates the book as a series of letters which put the reader in the role of confidant (“Dear Friend,” begins each chapter), stands firmly in the tradition of Holden Caulfield, still raging against the phonies, as Chbosky makes explicit in more than one of the many literary/musical/cultural references strewn around the book. The novel rests entirely on the narrative voice of Charlie—awkward, shy, open, way emotional, opinionated (whether you nod in agreement or clench your teeth in frustration at his musical taste will say a lot about your relationship to this book), funny, warm, confused, and unexpectedly moving. The target of prurient book banners and the focus of obsessive cult fans, Wallflower, like Catcher in the Rye, will be exactly the right novel at exactly the right moment for many teenagers, and more than a few adults. - GilliganLabels: Books
|
