I don't know if I really love this book or if I really hate it. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a work full of tremendous insight and relatable characters, but the epistolary format left me disconnected and severely diminished the emotional range of the book. 
 I won't go so far as to say that I hated Charlie, but it is no exaggeration when I say that he constantly and unrelentingly annoyed the crap out of me. He had the emotional width of a thimble, seemingly only capable of feeling either happy or sad. Charlie just never became real to me; real people feel several emotions and often at the same time. 
 Mentioning crying in every single letter got old very quickly as well. I know that Charlie had some sort of disorder, but there was no point in the book's 200 pages that clarified the exact nature of his issues for me, subsequently leaving Charlie an enigma. As the protagonist, Charlie never became more than a character, and I left feeling like I didn't understand him. Also frustrating to me was the fact that Charlie didn't seem to grow from his experences. Writing like that is simply unforgiveable. He does make some beautiful insights though, even if the circumstances around them seemed artificial. 
 Sam and Patrick. They almost completely make up for all my issues with the book. Where Charlie comes across simply as some sort of lifeless telescope the reader looks through, Sam and Patrick are the brilliant stars in that telescope's display. They were breathtakingly real, full of compounded and relatable emotions, and I, for once, shared Charlie's sadness at the end when I realized they would be leaving my world. 
 As a gay guy, it was difficult to read about Patrick and Brad's relationship because it was so honest. I couldn't be all that upset at either of them, even when they made some fairly awful decisions, just because I knew I would have done at least some of those things. Hell, I have done some of those things. 
 And Sam, she is the stuff of great literature. It's too bad she's in such a mediocre book or I would name her among some of the great female characters. She's so real, smart, beautiful and kind but also, insecure and manipulative. She is all of these things at once, and I loved reading her. 
 The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a bit of a mess with some outstandingly well-written moments, leaving me ambivalent towards a recommendation. Reading the book is definitely an experience, one that I believe, more so than with other books, is unique to each person. If nothing else, it makes you examine your life, how you think and the people you place around you, and anything that does that isn't all bad.