Perks of Being a Wallflower

Title: Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author: Stephen Chbosky

Publication date: 1999

Book's setting: 1991

Random facts: Percy Jackson and Hermione Granger are leading in the movie, out next year.

Plot summary: Middle-class suburban Charlie starts high school, and needs a way to vent his emotions, fears, and secrets if he's going to survive. Instead of a diary, he writes letters to an anonymous friend whose name the reader is never given. These letters make up the book. Charlie accidentally finds himself on the fringes of a crowd of amazingly cool seniors. The book deals with issues all teens face with sincerity and grace.

Favorite aspects: Oh, was it perhaps a bit too fraught with emotion? A tad too sincere? Yeah. But somehow that excess of incredible emotion was what made it so relate-able and real and sorrowful. Charlie himself was such a sympathetic character. He was a bit much at times... but the surprising ending made sense of that. Actually I think the characters in general made it so strong. Anyone can write a book about dysfunctional teenagers- substance abuse, drunken riots, closeted homosexuals, pregnancy scares, college application terrors. Not everyone can make you care that these kids are experiencing any of this stuff. I even genuinely cared for Sam, who is the stereotypical crazy beautiful bitch. however, is characters are the strongest point of the book, the characters I was most drawn to were Mary Elizabeth and Brad. Bravo, Chbosky. It takes a lot for me to love a teenager.

Least favorite aspects: I was (and still am) a bit confused as to how writing the novel in letter form helped the structure. I don't know if it symbolizes something I'm missing... or if it's just a clever way making it autobiographical without being a diary... But it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I often caught myself wondering more about what the hell was going on on the other side of the correspondence than about Charlie's own life. If someone was writing me letters like Charlie's, I'd want to respond and help. Maybe no one was receiving the letters. I'm not sure.

Other works it reminded me of: Criss-Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins.

Sadie's merciless break-down: It's one of those really famous books, so I was hesitant. It's a hipster classic right up there with The Bell Jar, On the Road, and Oscar Wao. So I was hesitant. But it was one of those books that really deserve the excessive hype they get. To be quite honest, I think it unfortunate that it fell into the hands of the hip booklisters and ended up on the shelves in Urban Outfitters next to Dirty Italian and The Quoteable Stoner. It doesn't belong there. Was it the best book ever? No, probably not. But it was a beautiful, heartfelt, and sincere book that deserves more than its overly ironic fanbase of the grown-up teen scene of the 90's. As excited as I am for the movie, and as excellent as the casting is, I once again don't know if it's actually going to do the novel any favors. Oh well. At least people are reading it.

Recommendation rate: It's a teen book. It's about teenage problems. If you're okay with that, it's one of the best teen books I've read.

Hard to Admit and Harder to Escape

Title: Hard to Admit and Harder to Escape

Author: Sarah Manguso

Publication date: 2007

Book's setting: Modern America

Random facts: This book is one in a set of three short stories call One-Hundred and Forty-Five Stories in a Small Box.

Plot summary: This is a collection of eighty-one short stories. Really short stories. Each one is limited to the length of a page, some are ever smaller. Although many of them stand alone, if you read them carefully enough you'll find that many of them seems to be about the same people, or child. Many of them sound incredible real, perhaps even autobiographical.

Favorite aspects: I cried over some of these, they were so delicate and perfect. Manguso's writing is so seamless and easy to sink into. It's a tiny little book, only eighty-one pages, and you could totally read it in a single sitting. But that's one of the coolest things about it. It's an experience to read. It's theatrical. It's spell-bounding. You want to read it all at once.

Least favorite aspects: You can only buy it in a set of three books, for about $27. I choked and bought it... so what? Money is meant to be spent.

Other works it reminded me of: No One Belongs Here More than You by Miranda July.

Sadie's merciless break-down: Let me quote one of the stories to you:
"There's one girl in the nursery that I decide to love. I stare at her and try to think of what I should call her. I decide I will call her Benny, and I approach her. "Hi, Benny," I say. Another girl pipes up. "It's Becky, not Benny," she informs me. But what she doesn't know is that I got within one constanant of the girl's name just by looking at her."

Recommendation rate: A must-read. All Manguso is a must, must, must read.