we are infinite

Author : Stephen Chbosky
Title : The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
Published : 02/02/2009
Pages : 240
Format : Paperback
Publisher : Simon & Schuster Ltd

     Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mix-tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

    This is a book I heard about a long time ago. It go add to my to be read pile much like a lot of others. I felt it was time to dive in and give it a go. From the description on the back I felt it would contain themes we could all relate to. For most of us our teenage years are spent some what a drift trying to find our place in the world. These themes have come through in books,movies and music for as long as teenagers have existed. So I was with high hopes that I turned over the cover page and began.

     Charlie is a charter I felt a kinship with from the first few chapters. He is well written and comes across as another lost soul trying his best. While we some times my question his choices who hasn’t at his age made some decisions we may live to regret. He draws you in to his world and makes you care about him and his friends. Patrick and Sam act as Charlie guides through this world. Both helping him come to terms with life but also dealing with their own problems. They both seemed well flesh out given enough time within the story to develop. Patrick dealing with be gay while in high school. Which I can’t imagine is easy for anyone, and Sam and With her own troubled life most of which stems back to horrific incident in her past. They both care for Charlie deeply in their own ways. This book does an great job of showing that we all struggle with life some times. And despite what we may be going through others are suffering just as much and at times more so. With all our hero’s you want the best out come for each of them. They remind us of where we all come from. That just because we are broken doesn’t mean we should shy away from life. And maybe some time we need something big to make us change the path we are on.

     Chbosky has given us a timeless tale of adolescent angst. His choice to tell his tale in the form of a diary I think works well. Allowing us to follow Charlie’s tale in real time. The text flows easily in to your thoughts. Even with some of the harder subject matter he never feels like he is over whelming us. You are allowed time to process the story along with the characters. The topics he chooses to highlight are ones that felt real and at times heart breaking. Who for instance hasn’t fallen in love with a friend only to have it not returned. And where do we go from there. Can a friendship survive beyond this point I hope so. He also shows us that family's are not perfect. That blood doesn't always bind us together. He dose a great job in conveying the chaos of our teenage years. From the euphoric highs to the depths of a broken heart and mind. I also liked the use of a friendly teacher giving Charlie different books to read all in there own way helping him through what ever seems to be troubling him at any given point. There are several scenes of drug taking in the book. It’s not done heavy handily and works to push Charlie to his own every moving future. While the ending doses come from a very dark place for our hero I think it also gives us some light at the end of the tunnel. That just maybe we can survive and learn from the things that break us down.

     This was a novel I got through in an evening the style keeps you engrossed from the first to the last chapter. An no point did I feel my mind sleeping to far from the plot only to remind me of things I did at Charlie’s age. This book showed me that hope can be a double edged sword. And just because we want something doesn't mean we can always get it. All we can do is be there for each other and see what happens. For this alone and many other reasons I suggest you spend some time with Charlie and his friends.