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| 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' |
"I don't know if you've ever felt like that. That you wanted to sleep for a thousand years. Or just not exist. Or just not be aware that you do exist. Or something like that. I think wanting that is very morbid, but I want it when I get like this"
~p100
This is my new favourite book. I've been meaning to read it for a while now and just haven't got round to it until yesterday (yes that's right, I read this book in less than 24 hours. It really was that good!) I really wish that I'd read it years ago, that this book had been around when I was fifteen and struggling with all the crap that comes with being a teenager. As it is, it still seems to have come into my life at the perfect time. A lot of the stuff running through Charlie's mind, a lot of the things he is thinking and feeling, a lot of his observations on life and family and the craziness of the world around him seem to eerily mirror my own current reflections.
I read this novel with a lump in my throat and un-shed tears blurring my vision. I haven't connected with a novel on such a level since I first read Elizabeth Wurtzel's 'Prozac Nation' when I was sixteen. When I turned that last page and closed the cover on the characters and their story, I was sad to leave it all behind. And seriously tempted to start again from the beginning. I'm certain I will do at some time in the near future. Charlie's story just resonates with me too much to leave it un-visited for too long.
As with many of my favourite books, I'm going to be reluctant to watch the film version of this book. The characters are so alive in my mind, their individual quirks and mannerisms so real to me that I don't think I'd be happy with however they're portrayed on film. But I'm sure my curiosity will get the better of me at some point.
This novel gets a 10/10 from me. And I urge you to go out and buy it and read it right away. I hope Charlie sparks something in you as much as he did for me.
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