Saturday, June 25, 2005

Getting Mad at Books

Do you ever read a book and then when you realize it's done, you get upset, because it's the best thing that you've read in a while and you can't be sure if you'll read something that good again soon?

Well I do.

I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It was one of the best books I have read since High Fidelity. It was funny and sad and heartbreaking and familiar at the same time.

The book is very Catcher-in-the-Rye-esque, but modernized in its own way. The story is told from the viewpoint of a boy named Charlie who is 15 and is getting ready to start high school. In a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, he shares his fears, his anxieties, his feelings about love, life, loss, growing up, and family. He is surrounded by a cast of characters that everyone can relate to...the people that you went to high school with and can remember now, if only a far away silouhette of them.

It's fast-paced (I read it in 3 sittings), and relatively short, but is a terrific read. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it (although now I'm mad that I did because I'm sad it's over), considering that I've had it for about 2 years but have either read other things (all the Fletch books, all the Dan Brown books) or have been busy.

For those of you who are growing up and found yourself relating to Holden Caulfield when you read Catcher in the Rye (please tell me you've read that book), I really think that you will enjoy this book. It might even make you feel infinite (inside joke...read the book to understand).

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Good review. I might end up having to read this one, because I'm already almost done with the Stephen King book, and none of the other ones I'm waiting for are available at the library yet.