Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

    Not to be basic about it or anything, but I put this book down seconds ago, and my face is kind of stinging because, as occurs anytime someone reads this unfortunate book, tears were shed.

    The Fault in Our Stars is about Hazel Grace, a teenage girl living with thyroid cancer. She meets a wonderful, beautiful, smart, one-legged boy called Augustus Waters at a cancer support group. They quickly become friends and eventually fall in love. Both Augustus and Hazel love this book, An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten, and in the story, Augustus uses his Wish to go to Amsterdam with Hazel and meet the author. It's kind of a disappointing meeting, but they have a grand time in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, Augustus has a recurrence of his osteosarcoma and ends up dying from it. Exponentially sad times.

    Here's the thing: Hazel and Augustus are epic and real and wonderful and that is a hill that I will die on. John Green writes the best characters I have ever read. Maybe that's because they're all just teenagers who do questionable things and have an interest in deep philosophical thoughts and obscure literature, but frankly, I don't care, because I as a very individual and specific person can relate to them and appreciate them even if they're all quite similar. Unforgivable though it may be in any other author, John Green's expert writing on the very specific philosophical nerdy teenager is gorgeous.

    The second thing is a bit of a disappointment, because I have just discovered that An Imperial Affliction is a fake book and Peter Van Houten is a fake person.

    There is also a third thing. I have to express my compliments to John Green, because if one were to read this without knowledge of the ending (something that I was not able to achieve due to having friends who read), one would expect Hazel to die first. Augustus seems almost perfectly healthy right up until Amsterdam. It's a horribly heart-wrenching plot twist, but nonetheless, genius.

    The end-all-be-all is that this book is fantastically sad and hilarious at the same time. John Green's writing style carries along the vivid characters and story in a way that makes it impossible to put this book down. If I could read the first few chapters infinitely without reaching the inevitable end, I would, just because they're so easy and pleasant to read. I have a feeling that I will find myself reading this over and over again, just as I do with another sad and unfortunate novel by John Green called Looking for Alaska.

    I've never written in a book before, but today I felt inclined to highlight something said by our dear friend Augustus Waters. So without further adieu, let me leave you with this.

"'It is a good life, Hazel Grace.'"

Rating: 5 Stars