“You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand.”
I officially have a new book to add to my list of favorites. A book that I am so glad to have found randomly in one of my favorite bookstores. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is one of those books that seem to talk directly to me. Like, I get this strange feeling that it was made for me. (Of course I know that it is not. Stephen Chbosky, the writer, will probably get so kilig if he finds out that some random girl from the Philippines thinks that the book he wrote more than 10 years ago actually spoke to her. I would, if I were him.)
The book is an epistolary (new word for me! it means that the book was written as a series of letters. In this case, the main character, Charlie, writes to an unknown person to share his day to day life with because this person understands and won’t judge him), a day to day chronicle of what goes on in the life (and in the head) of a shy freshman boy as he explores the normal growing up fare – family drama, love, sex, smoking, drugs, and passions such as music and writing. It’s basically your typical growing up/coming of age kind of story in the same tradition as “The Catcher in the Rye” (which was, surprise surprise, the author’s inspiration for writing this book). If you liked that book, I am a million percent sure that you’ll love this one, too.
Charlie’s someone I can relate to, if not for his experiences (some are too extreme. Drugs? Nah, I’m a bit more mellow than he is) but because of the way he thinks. It’s too familiar. Like my thoughts. And it’s a bit creepy. His observations about everything and everyone almost sound like my own thoughts. I think he and I would make great friends. It’s like finding your soul mate in a book character.
“When I was walking up the stairs to my dad’s old room, and I was looking at the old photographs, I started thinking that there was a time when these weren’t memories. That someone actually took that photograph, and the people in the photograph has just eaten lunch or something.”
“And I thought that all those little kids are going to grow up someday. And all of those little kids are going to do the things that we do. And they will all kiss someone someday. But for now, sledding is enough. I think it would be great if sledding were always enough, but it isn't.”
“Sometimes, I look outside, and I think that a lot of other people have seen this snow before. Just like I think that a lot of other people have read those books before. And listened to those songs.
I wonder how they feel tonight.”
See? I keep on thinking those kinds of thoughts. Probably the "connectedness” talent that I have (thank you for letting me know this, Strengths Finder 2.0. Will write about this book sometime!)
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just a wallflower myself.
And somewhere in between reading the book, I came to a conclusion, that yes, I most likely am. I feel like I’ve been observing to much, not doing enough. Trying to understand everyone, not feeling intensely. I’m envious of people who feel every moment as intensely as every other moment in their lives(even though I sometimes think it’s too OA). I think I’m sometimes deliberately missing out on the “being in the moment” part of life. Must be “out there” more.
“Maybe it’s good to put things in perspective, but sometimes, I think that the only perspective is to really be there. Like Sam said. Because it’s okay to feel things. And be who you are about them.”
The only perspective is to really be there. Isn’t that a nice thing to remember? :)
This book has the most beautiful lines and the most memorable characters. I felt like those were my experiences. And that I’ve lived them through Charlie.
“So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we'll never know most of them. But even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”
I know when a book touched me so much when I can find so many memorable quotes and insights from it. This one has everything I’ve been wanting to read in a long while. Because while I enjoy reading about faraway adventures and magic and future worlds, it’s these kinds of books that make you appreciate reality and every piece of it. The bad things that make you a better person and the good things that are worth living for.