
“A Novel Idea” is a recurring feature at Gordon and the Whale that combines two things that I may have some expertise in – books and movies. “A Novel Idea” is essentially book reviews with a cinematic bent, examining literary works already slated for the big screen treatment – aiming to give us an idea of what to look for when those books finally hit the silver screen, for better or worse.
The importance of a slice of entertainment hitting its consumer at the precisely correct moment in their life cannot be overstated. Sometimes, it cannot even be sufficiently explained to others who have not had a similar experience. It’s entertainment, plus emotion, swirled with experience. Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower hit shelves in February of 1999, back when this writer was the tender age of fifteen (is there anyone as young as a fifteen year old?) and a sophomore in high school. Though Chbosky’s book revolves around high schoolers who feel that they exist especially on the outside of “normal” teenage society, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is not alienating in its depiction of, well, alienation. You did not need to be teenage outcast for the novel to touch you. But it certainly didn’t hurt. Continue reading