Match BookThe Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
1999 · 213 pages · Young adult
How it reads
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is young adult (epistolary coming-of-age, specifically), and its dominant mood is melancholy. It's quietly sad, wistful and reflective. The pace is moderate — neither a page-turner nor a slow burn — so it holds up whether you read it in long sittings or short ones.
It's set in a suburban setting, in the recent past, told in the first person by a single narrator. Its central concerns are coming of age, friendship and identity. In weight it's heavy and literary — denser, more serious, and more demanding of you.
It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is bittersweet: it resolves, but at a price. At 213 pages it's a quick read. It's a mega-bestseller — the book everyone seems to have read.
Pick it up if…
- you're in the mood for something melancholy
- you want something to chew on
- you want a complete story in one book
Maybe not if…
- you need something funny or hopeful
All 15 dimensions
- Genre
- young adult
- Author gender
- male
- Author experience
- early career
- Setting: place
- suburban
- Setting: time
- recent past
- Mood / feeling
- melancholy
- Pace
- moderate
- Tone / weight
- heavy and literary
- Length
- short
- Narrative style
- first person, one narrator
- Publication era
- modern classic
- Popularity
- mega-bestseller
- Series vs standalone
- standalone
- Themes
- coming of age, friendship, identity
- Ending style
- bittersweet
What these mean: the 15 dimensions of a book.
Books with a similar reading
The closest books in Match Book's catalogue across the same dimensions, and what they share.
- Me: MothAmber McBrideShares: young adult, melancholy mood, heavy and literary tone, moderate pace
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-TimeMark HaddonShares: young adult, melancholy mood, moderate pace, coming of age as a theme- Persepolis: The Story of a ChildhoodMarjane SatrapiShares: melancholy mood, heavy and literary tone, moderate pace, bittersweet ending
- Anatomy of a MisfitAndrea PortesShares: young adult, melancholy mood, moderate pace, bittersweet ending
- Everyone We've BeenSarah EverettShares: young adult, melancholy mood, moderate pace, bittersweet ending
What HappenedHillary Rodham ClintonShares: melancholy mood, heavy and literary tone, moderate pace, bittersweet ending
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