The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Movie Vs Film

I was told I had to read this book before seeing the film. I watched the movie trailer and it seemed like a light, coming of age, teen flick. How wrong I was...

The book is told through Charlie as he writes anonymously to a stranger about his life. We never hear back from this stranger, making the narrative style similar to a diary. Charlie is a wallflower; an outsider who observes but struggles to join in. I was frustrated with his naivety and fascinated by how he was sharing such intimate details with a stranger. As honest as Charlie thinks he is with his letters, the reader knows he is hiding something from us and himself. 

Charlie's story is dark and beautifully painful. It shares this with the movie, written and directed by the author himself. Despite this, the movie was not what I imagined. It has lighter, funnier moments. Charlie doesn't look like the loner I perceived him to be. The love story also has a bigger focus.

Still a great movie and still a great book, but two very different beasts. 

Shiree @ Camberwell

 

What now?

• Add your thoughts about in the comments below.
• Go to the catalogue and reserve it.
• Borrow it as an ebook.
• Review a book yourself.