Book Review- Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower has plagued me for years. It's one of those novels that I've always seen prominently displayed in the bookstores and have had countless people recommend. I'm not particularly interested in seeing the movie version, but the resurgence in popularity due to the movie, definitely put this book back on my radar and I decided to finally purchase the Kindle version.

I am so glad that I gave in. Chbosky is brilliant at writing from the teenage mindset. I wouldn't have thought this, if I had not recently come across a box of letters from my high school years. It's as if Chbosky plagiarized my letters for his novel! They are filled with thoughts and ideas that can only be important to teenagers. They are often highly self-reflective and painfully awkward to read. This is how it is to be a teenager, only it's something that you can't understand until you become an adult. Chbosky writes characters who are so much like myself and friends that I had in high school, that it's uncanny. These are ordinary kids, just trying to figure out where they belong and where their life is headed.

The story is mostly quiet and filled with average moments. I like this routine quality to the storytelling, because teenage life is filled with routine, punctuated by a special party or outing with friends that takes on an extraordinary importance. I love the scene where Sam, Patrick and Charlie are driving in the car. Those moments of freedom and glimpses of adulthood are what being a teenager is all about, those small moments.

I felt like this rather mundane tone made the twist at the end more shocking. The twist wasn't at all necessary from a plot perspective, but this story is not plot driven. At its core, it's a character development piece. The main character, Charlie, is revealed very slowly, one layer at a time. Chbosky's focus on character development, rather than plot, is a huge reason this story is so affecting and doesn't feel artificial.

On a small note, I got a kick out of the time frame of the book. It takes place in the early 90's and I would have been the same age as the main character in the book. The story is definitely peppered with little things that root the story in the era.

Book Review - Alexander McCall Smith's The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

This review will probably sound like all of my other reviews for the novels in Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, so I will keep this short and sweet.

Smith continues the adventures of Mma Ramotswe and her companions with a story that is tender and compassionate, without ever feeling trite or false. McCalls stories are just a pleasure to read and always leave me smiling. I think that it's a shame that HBO canceled the series, which was really spot on versions of the stories, especially the casting.

This latest edition has a great surprise appearance when a very special visitor shows up at the agency. I really liked the story line with Phuti. Smith has really branched out with giving the spotlight to minor characters, like Phuti, as the series progresses. I glad that Smith is such a quick and prolific author, as I am looking forward to the next installment.

Book Review- Banana Yoshimoto's The Lake

Banana Yoshimoto has been a long time favorite author of mine and her latest novella, The Lake, doesn't disappoint. The story is first person, told from the point of view of Chihiro, a young woman who has just lost her mother and is feeling rootless. She encounters a needy and usual man named Nakajima, who has also lost his parents and this commonality seals their bond. They carve out a life together that is stunted emotionally and is hovered by a dark secret.

Much of the story has a hint of something not quite right and potentially sinister. Yoshimoto does a great job creating a slow build to a shocking reveal in the end. The story is just plain creepy and left me feeling out of sorts.

The reason I love Yoshimoto so much, is she has a talent for writing simply. She is direct, but in a way that doesn't sacrifice the subtext. She creates complex characters with intense motivations. I also love how her books are always exactly the right length to tell the story. I never feel that her stories could have benefitted from ruthless editing. She knows what to add and what to cut, something that I think is difficult for even the most gifted writers and editors.

On a personal level, I connected to many of the emotions that the characters feel in the book, with particular regard to rootlessness and loss of parents. These characters are in an intense period of transition and feeling uncertainty and panic. Yoshimoto captures this perfectly.