Looking back, it has been almost a year since a book has gripped me as much as this one did. I had heard about it a couple of times and decided to borrow it from a friend who raved about it. She was right about everything. I couldn’t put the book down, and finished it in a matter of days. In fact, once I was done, I sat around aimlessly for hours going through the withdrawal of words. Of the many books I have read in my life, The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favorites.
Lately, I have been increasingly frustrated with book selections. It appears as though every young adult fiction book is written by a beginner author who has seemingly done nothing but live through high school a million times. The book usually contains a shallow character whose greatest goal in life is to get a boyfriend/girlfriend, and often, sleep with that boy/girl. I usually can’t make it through more than a few chapters before I give up in exasperation, totally losing hope that anything profound will make an appearance. The Fault in Our Stars was different, though. So, very different.
It is the story of a young girl who falls in love with a young man. They go on adventures fulfilling their dreams together while making the most of the life they have. It doesn’t sound very original. However, the main characters are not your average sixteen and seventeen year-olds. Hazel, the narrator, has for years been living with cancer. The boy Augustus is in remission. This immediately gives them a depth that not many other characters have. Hazel has thoughts on life, death, people, herself, and everything about her unusual world that gives you a glimpse into the life of a teen that’s waiting to die. She is a remarkable character, not only because of her condition, but her going on despite it. She obtained her GED and goes to college classes whenever possible. Because of this, she is very intelligent. This creates a sharp contrast between the incompetence often portrayed by the fictional high-schoolers we often cross paths with. The characters were a representation of all the potential teenagers posses, much more than petty thoughts and selfish qualities. They inspired you that life is about much more than what you do for yourself, but rather the impact you have on other people along the way.
This was, simply, a marvelous book. There was only one part I hated: when it was over. “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” -The Fault in Our Stars. A quote could not more perfectly describe my thoughts. I want everyone to read it and experience what a creative author can do. I highly doubt a lot of other authors would think to write a whole book about such a sensitive subject as cancer, and, not only that, give the characters such depth and love of knowledge. I’m begging, you teenagers, raise your standards! If I could, I would like to personally thank the author, John Green. Not surprisingly, Green hosts a YouTube channel that, with its many followers, proclaims the motto of fighting “worldsuck.” Well, I can say with enthusiasm that John Green did that. Thank you, Green, for fighting against the suck of most young adult fiction, and giving us a novel worth remembering.