The Perks of Being a Wallflower

For the first time in Russian, an amazing bestseller by Stephen Chbosky—a touching coming-of-age novel (“‘Catcher in the Rye’ for new times,” as critics put it). It sold over a million copies and was adapted into a film by the author himself—one of the lead roles in the film was played by Emma Watson, also known for Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies.

Charlie moves to a senior high school. Afraid of what might be waiting for him there after a recent nervous breakdown, he starts writing letters to someone he has never met—but whom he’s sure will understand him well. Charlie doesn’t like going to dances because he usually likes songs you can’t dance to. Every new book he reads on Bill’s advice—Bill is his literature teacher—quickly becomes Charlie’s favorite: “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Peter Pan,” “The Great Gatsby,” “The Catcher in the Rye,” “On the Road,” “Naked Lunch”… Bill tells Charlie to “be not a sponge, but a filter,” and Charlie honestly tries. Charlie also tries not to remember the childhood traumas he firmly buried and to understand his feelings for Sam, the high school girl—the sister of his friend Patrick, nicknamed Nothing.

The book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” was an extraordinary success among readers—over a million copies sold—and the novel was recognized as a bestseller in 16 countries. It’s no surprise: the book wonderfully conveys every emotion a teenager experiences during the process of growing up—loneliness, misunderstanding. Published in 1999, the book tells the story of the life of a young man named “Charlie,” who describes events from his life in letters to a friend.