A common review would call it "a coming of age tale". It is, but there is so much more than that. It is a reflection that has withstood the test of time. Despite being written in the 1990's, it is still very much relevant to the lives of teenagers today.
The Perks of Being A Wallflower tells the story of a young boy, Charlie, who is a thinker, not a doer. He writes letters to an unknown friend because he feels that he has no one to talk to, and that this "friend" will listen to him. He writes about the common issues faced by teenagers; self-discovery, loneliness, depression, drinking, smoking, drugs, partying, relationships, suicide, fear of the future, and even sexual activities. He is very honest, in his observations, but also very, very lonely.
At the advice of his teacher, he tries to open himself up to others, and in the process befriends two people, Sam and Patrick, who are step-siblings. They introduced him to the world of teenage normality. They help him experience his firsts: his first true friends, his first kiss and first girlfriend, but also his first heartbreak.
All in all, it is a melancholic tale, but with snippets of hopefulness in between in a sense that it reminds us of ourselves. Our lives are reflected in Charlie’s circumstances, all of his hardships, challenges and simple joys. We find comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone in whatever we are going through. Somewhere, someone understands us and could possibly be going through the same thing.
This novel is very popular and successful because it is realistic. It can be considered as one of the few novels that are not sugar coated with false pretences and content of impossibility; for it actually shows life upfront, the cold, harsh reality that it contains. For this reason, it becomes transcending to our lives and our times. How Stephen Chbosky has presented this tale is brilliant and unconventional. He tells the story in a way that makes it feel very personal, and enables us to be free to make our own conclusions. It is also very sincere and heart warming, and in its own special way, makes us feel "infinite".