Book Log 2023 #13: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a high school freshman at a Pittsburgh-area high school, and as an observant and introverted kid is pretty isolated. The book is framed as a series of letters Charlie writes to an unnamed pen pal, to whom he details the ups and downs of the year, involving family and friends. He has specific difficulty coming to grips with the death of his best friend (by suicide) and a favorite aunt (traffic accident).

Much of the plot revolves around issues that are just under the surface - Charlie's crush on one of his senior friends, the other senior's secret relationship with a football player, and Charlie's sister being stuck in an abusive relationship. Things ramp up at the end of the school year, when many of these issues come to the surface, and in one case spark a startling revelation for Charlie.

I didn't quite connect to this book, which is something I run into quite a bit with YA books. I think I make comparisons to my own growing up, and am too quick to discount the book when it goes too far astray from my own experience. Which is a problem, as it's not like my childhood was some Platonic ideal. I also was unlikely to pick up this book, other than it fit a reading challenge, so my heart may not have been it it from the start.