Describing Charlie

Charlie is a 15 year old teenager who makes his first experiences with alcohol, drugs, relationships and sex.

At the beginning of the novel Charlie’s best friend Michael commits suicide and now Charlie has to go to high school without any friend. He is a very shy and emotional guy, but upon the advice of his English teacher, who will be a very good friend of Charlie later, he gets to know some people at a football match. Charlie cottons on to Patrick and his step-sister Sam, although they are older than him. After a while he feels growing emotions for Sam but he can’t show her his feelings. Mary Elisabeth, whom he has met via the magazine “Punky Rocky”, begins to date Charlie and he makes his first experience with sex. During their one-sided relationship it is Mary Elisabeth talking all the time. Charlie is only the passive part. Patrick is his best male friend although he is gay. He helps Charlie in difficult situations in which he doesn’t know what to do, for instance when Charlie should kiss the prettiest girl in the room and he kissed Sam and not Mary Elisabeth. After such shocking situations Charlie always begins to cry. He doesn’t know what to do and then it’s good to have a friend like Patrick who has more experience with such things. As time goes by Charlie doesn’t meet his friends any more except Patrick. He falls into deep depressions and cries a lot, like every time when it gets too sentimental for him. The whole novel is an up and down of Charlie’s feelings.

Alban