It is not uncommon for a writer to cite one particular work as a centrepiece of inspiration, a combination of fantastic plot exposition, dynamic characters and word-smithery only found in the most brilliant of literary masterpieces. Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower has always been that novel for me. Perks has the ability to touch you in such a deeply personal way, whilst remaining entertaining and well considered at its core. As Chbosky’s only novel it is something of a rarity among the coming-of-age genre; neither a guide to nor a deterrent from growing up but an account of first loss, first love and all that it means to be young.
In the simplest of terms - which as oftentimes in reviews, does not give the book the justice it deserves - Perks is about a fifteen year old boy called Charlie who is returning to school after his best friend committed suicide the previous summer. An epistolary style is used as it is written in the first person as a series of letters to an anonymous individual Charlie simply refers to as ‘friend’. The novel follows Charlie as he forms new friendships, develops feelings for a girl and begins to navigate the confusing and stressful social waters of high school. Chbosky ventures even further into themes surrounding sexuality, sexual violence and mental illness in a tender and careful way. It is his subtly and sincerity in writing about such topics that sets Perks apart from your average young adult novel. Another testament to Perks as an outstanding novel is how well both its content and the novel itself have stood the test of time. Despite being set in the early 1990s the struggles faced by Charlie and his friends, for example Patrick, who is gay, and Sam, who suffers with substance abuse, remain entirely relatable to today’s youth regardless of cultural references to The Smiths and cassette players rather than Spotify and iTunes. Since being published in 1999 Perks has been heralded as one of the world’s most influential young adult novels and almost twenty years later, it remains as such. In 2012, it ranked 16th in NPRs top 100 young adult novels of all time.
Perhaps my personal, biased love for Perks comes from a deeply sentimental place as Perks was a novel handed to me at age thirteen that would go on to influence me for the rest of my life. On paper, Charlie and I are almost the same person. Our shared passion for writing, our social anxieties and even the friendships we have are so similar sometimes when reading Perks I have felt as if I am looking into my own mind rather than that of a fictional American teenager. Regardless, I stand by the fact (and I have the certainty to call it fact) that any person of any age at any stage in their life may be able to gain something by reading Perks. Of the hundreds upon hundreds of books I’ve read in my short eighteen years, not one other book has opened my mind or touched my heart quite like The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Besides, I had to get my name from somewhere, right?