Review | The advantages of being invisible

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And at that moment I would be able to swear that we were infinite

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Cover of the book “The Advantages of Being Invisible”, Rocco / ed. 2007
 

It is through letters that Charlie shares his little world with the reader. It is not a diary, it is much more intimate than that. They are hilarious, strange - sometimes - and devastating. As we read, we discovered Charlie's impressions of his first encounters, family dramas, new friends, suicide, depression, abuse - lots of abuse -, sex, drugs and the search for that perfect song. Screenwriter Stephen Chbosky sheds light on maturity in the school environment, a place that is sometimes oppressive and synonymous with threat. A reading that makes visible the problems and crises typical of youth.

I had already watched the movie for a few years and then in a bookstore I ended up finding the book that became a movie in 2012 on the shelf. In the role of Charlie we have Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) who lives a 15 year old boy who is going high school in Pittsburgh and is recovering from a depression. Sam and Patrick are brothers and the duo that welcomes Charlie. They are very intense characters, especially Patrick. Sam is played by Emma Watson who distances herself from the little witch Hermione who has lived for so many years and Ezra Miller who presents one of her best interpretations, is not a caricature and delivers a great character, Patrick, Pat or Nada. Right from the start we see that Charlie is not an ordinary youth. He has his own dilemmas. He writes letters to help him in his recovery. It seems that in writing he runs away from problems and can express his fears, concerns, desires, he can tell in the letters what he cannot speak. And with each letter written and read we know a little more about Charlie's life. We found out that he feels uncomfortable with his parents and siblings and we know that he trusted only one person: Aunt Helen, the best person in the world in his view. She died when she went to get his birthday present and Charlie blames himself for it.

So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I'm happy and sad at the same time, and I'm still trying to understand how I can be like this
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In the film, Charlie is played by Logan Lerman.

Charlie tries to fit in, but it seems that it is very difficult to socialize when everyone finds him strange. And maybe that's why he's looking for the displaced group. And that has a lot in common with us readers. Who has never felt like a fish out of water at school, college or any other environment other than the one we feel comfortable with? It is an incessant search for acceptance and in the book we can see that. And we understand that this search, this search ... Charlie has trauma and not even his family understands it. We don't know why his friend killed himself, but we do know that he had problems before that. Maybe hi during the treatment he met his only friend who helped him, but who couldn't stand the stage that is life. But why a stage? Because we act as if we are actors, we expect applause. And when don't we?

The Advantages of Being Invisible shows that we do not know what goes on in a person's head, just knowing and living with them, that we come to understand a little of their universe. The friendship he has with Patrick and Sam is very interesting and real. And the most charming thing is that the plot sews everyone's stories without leaving Charlie aside. Patrick is amusing and seems to be well resolved, but in the meantime, however, he hides his true nature from the world. He is gay. And he has a somewhat troubled relationship with Brad, who hides that he is gay. Unfortunately, he lives on appearances and poses as a macho man when in fact he is someone frustrated. Sam, on the other hand, is a free soul. But it also has its dilemmas. She, like Aunt Helen, like Charlie and like that girl who, in Charlie's room, during a party was raped, Sam also suffered abuse. Only she reacted otherwise. I don't say it wasn't difficult, but she tried to overcome it.

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Scene where Charlie is at a party with Sam and Mary Elizabeth

The family also has its dilemmas. Charlie's sister suffered abuse too, differently, but she did. He was beaten by his boyfriend and still had an abortion and in that difficult moment he counted on Charlie's help. The father was the son of a man who drank a lot and who beat his mother and him and that is why he decided to be different. Charlie tells us that his father was not in the habit of hitting him and we understand why. Aunt Helen. She was beaten a lot by her father when she was little, she was raped and she also suffered violence in her relationships, she had depression and with the help of her sister, Charlie's mother, she managed to take a new path. And maybe that's why we ask ourselves, "If all this happened to her, why did she abuse Charlie?"

But Charlie didn't remember that. He had a strong and intense feeling for Sam and when they have a little more intimate moment he ... Freak out! Everything that had happened to him comes to the fore. He reports in the course of the plot that he talks to his psychiatrist about questions he asks every time he visits the office and Charlie doesn't understand the reason for those questions ... Until the moment we became aware of what really happened. When Sam touches his leg, he unleashes all the memories that were stuck in his subconscious and he remembers everything ... His friends are gone, his best friend killed himself, his favorite aunt is dead and he blames himself, he is alone. And in that loose lock he remembers. His aunt abused him. How could someone he loved the most have done this to him? He took advantage of his innocence ... The burden of such an event is too great to bear, imagine a child. He blocked it out, but when it surfaced, a flood of emotions overtook him and the worst, he wondered if he wanted Aunt Helen's death to have happened.

The best way to understand suicide is not studying the brain, but emotions. The questions are: 'where does it hurt?' and 'how can i help you? - Dr. Edwin Schneidman

Well, if you watched the movie and read the book, you certainly noticed some differences between both productions. At first, it is worth mentioning that the relationship between Charlie and his family is much more present in the book and in the film, even if it is a united family, it is not shown. Charlie's brother himself does not gain much relevance. Professor Bill always makes constructive criticisms of the essays written by Charlie, but in the film he only praises. The bullying that one of the most common themes that everyone has gone through or goes through in life is used in the film to show that Charlie is at the bottom of the school social hierarchy. But in the book the focus is different, it is related to social pressures and loneliness. The parties were not big, but in a basement, for a few friends. At this point, it's boring because it makes a lot of difference to trade The Smiths for Katy Perry. The effect it has on the book is not the same as that presented in the book.

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Scene where Charlie remembers everything

But why should I read?

Because it is an adaptation, the film has its grace. It is well directed and makes us want to go deeper and that is why we try to read the book. Charlie from the book is real, he is touchable, he is sensitive. He's above the clone of the film, which, however good a interpretation of Lerman, is not our Charlie. He is capable of much more. Our Charlie is instinctively cordial and his innocence and sincerity are enough to make him funny. He cries and that makes him more human and makes those who read the book want him well, want to defend him. He is loyal and true. He understands the needs of others and through everything he has gone through, he has learned to see the world in a totally different way. He is sweet and gentle ... a real chaos hid inside behind so much sensitivity.

The advantages of being invisible it takes 4 “just one more chapter” out of 5. By the way, Charlie from the book knows that the secret is to advance in the knees, in the throat and in the eyes. Good reading!

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