“Perks of Being a Wallflower” aches with a tenderness and vulnerability I have yet to see in other novels. As he experiments with LSD, creates melancholic mixtapes and revels in watching glitzy live performances of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show ” - you know, classic high school stuff - Charlie comes closer to his true self, even as he confronts his darkest memories, the ones that attempt to lure him back into isolation. Soon, however, Charlie befriends step-siblings Patrick and Sam, both ambitious, extroverted upperclassmen who help push Charlie out of his comfort zone and realize his potential. Coming-of-age stories have always been my favorite subgenre of American literature - and narrative art in general - but there hasn’t been a coming-of-age story I’ve read quite like “Perks of Being a Wallflower.” Set in the early ’90s, the novel is presented in a series of soulful, intimate journal entries written by the protagonist Charlie, a perceptive introvert from suburban Pittsburgh who wrestles with childhood traumas and a fear of rejection as he enters his first year of high school.
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