Chbosky captures so much so well. The angst of the American high school experience as experienced just a few years before my time rings true, if a bit white, alternative cliche. It’s written with authenticity and earnest purpose.

Having lived in a Pittsburgh suburb for 10 years, the description of entering the city from the tunnels grounds the book in its setting and grips the reader who’s lived the experience. Without having lived some of the other experiences in the book personally, I assume the book’s honest tone offers the same to other readers’ shared experiences.