#16 of 2012: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I’m not the biggest John Green fan, but because I’m a weakling to signed copies and Markus Zusak’s genius (he dubbed the book as Green’s best work yet), I caused my wallet a mini heart attack and bought this book. It took me three days to get to it but when I finally did, I lost a good night’s sleep and a quarter cup of tears. I know it’s not completely reliable to label one book as a good one just because it made you cry, but my tears were not mainly of sadness and regret - but of ALL THE THINGS. Green was damn right about his book. And he knows that’s what his strength is: to show you all the things you already/may not have know(n) and make you feel them (again). That must be why I ended up reading it twice, and consecutively at that. This was even better than Looking for Alaska, which I have learned to love over the years from sporadic rereading.
Yay!s
-Hallelujah! Green did away with his signatures that I, err, have come to loathe. In place of unrequited love and breakups, here’s a story of coming together. In place of quirky-named sidekicks, here’s plainly-named Isaac. In place of unreachable crushes, here are Hazel Grace and Augustus.
-Another thumbs-up for the never-ending exploration of what it means to be in this world, living in the moment, what happens when we die, etc.
-The central role of literature in Hazel and Gus’ relationship
-AMSTERDAM!! ANNE FRANK’S HOUSE!! And the mad Peter Van Houten character (LOVED THE FACT THAT HE WAS KIND OF INSANE WHEN HAZEL AND GUS MET HIM - just shows how your favorite authors can be totally different from what you imagine them to be). John Green, thank you for including my favorite bar of chocolate (okay, the name and a bit of its history) in your story.
-I appreciate the presence of the PARENTALS in this book, because YA novels hardly include them anymore. It’s somehow refreshing seeing them play more than sidewalk type of characters in stories.
-It’s a cancer novel, but it’s not a cancer novel, you get what I mean?
-The love letter Hazel wrote to Gus after they did it.
Boo!
-That it ended. That is all.
