1 of 1 members found this review helpful.
“so many elements work together to make this book more than another trendy pocketbook on a bestselling list.
the language is simple. its told from the perspective of an adolescent boy as he writes in his journal, and the effortless yet poetic words are convincing in their sincerity. it captures the feeling of a moment, with all its sweetness so pure that makes you ache, knowing it will pass away into memory. infinity in a moment, captured in the words of a teenager in his freshman year at highschool.
the touches added to the setting: the mixed tapes, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, all the little things that remind one of the angst-ridden, grungy, adolescent 90's brings back the frustration, jadedness and idealism of the time without forcing it on you. i think the 90's are underrated, everyone loves the 20's, the 50's, the 60's, the 70's, but this was the time of the bored, plaid-wearing, greasy-haired, middle-america and middle-class youth who had nothing to do but rave at the world of supersize malls and pop music. i love it.[br/][br/]and finally, charlie. charlie is that little kid in our hearts that used to just watch the other kids play, or looked around and just sat while everyone chose their partners. for anyone who's ever been a loner, wallflower or the odd-one-out, this character strikes a chord. as we grow up some of us leave that awkward little kid behind, but most of us will never forget how it felt to be not quite in the midst.
but most of all, we love him not because he reminds us of well, us; we love him because he becomes a real kid in our minds. charlie is unable to feel strong emotions, but we feel pain when he is supposed to be hurt, we become angry on his behalf. as the book goes on we start to see his heart. a heart that sees things most people overlook, a heart that feels for others what he should feel for himself. charlie has a heart that makes him special.
there are a bunch of other things i love about this book, the one character i think that sees charlie as he is: the beautiful, honest, complicated sam, the moment where they scream as they enter the tunnel, all his friends who become real in their own way, but these are the most important for me.
the moments of our youth, of simple beauty, of wordless emotion: passing yet infinite, short but sweet.
this book is like a really good rock song.”