Book Review:

Before the trailer came out, I new NOTHING about this book. I remember scrolling through the new trailers on my IMDB app, a favorite before bed activity, and it caught my eye. Knowing nothing that the book-or that there even was a book- I watch the trailer. (see below)

The Fault In Our Stars Trailer

"That looks sad, but good" was the only description I could muster after watching the live manifest of a book. I stupidly decide to look it up through Wikipedia, found out that it was written by John Green-who I knew from YouTube- and read the plot summary. Did you catch the stupid? I stupidly read the plot summary, not the synopsis, and stupidly found out every major detail of the book. Yep, I'm an idiot. I went away thinking that it was like "The Notebook", but with cancer. 

Boy was I wrong. 

I decide to read the book- even though I thought I knew every think about it already- this past Sunday in the land on Target. I was looking for a book to read and since everyone was so hyped up about this movie coming out (I mean, seriously Twitter) I would try to figure out what was so important about the sad book about the sad teenagers who have cancer. I case you know nothing about it, the book in a boy meets girl story about two teenagers who met at a cancer support group, Hazel and her Augustus. There are laughs and tears and anger and joy wrapped up in roughly 250 pages of printed paper. 

I finished last night around midnight.

Imagine "Starry Night" by van Gogh. Every stroke was place in the precise position, at the precise time to form an eternal masterpiece. That's how I feel about this book. It's a masterpiece. Now, it not my favorite novel of all time, I've read it once and I'm sure I'll read it again some day, but I don't have the overwhelming feeling to reread it now. I placed it on the shelf with all of the other books I've read, all of the other worlds I've live in and lives I've lived. 

But John Green's worlds are important. Each sentence is like a stroke of a paintbrush to this masterpiece. And I have to admit, I've never felt more stupid reading a book. He didn't use the simple, run of the mill words that we use daily to describe our lives. He's writing and his use of words reminded me of that scene from Dead Poet's Society where Robin Williams is standing on a desk teaching his class how to write. He tells them to use solid, all encompassing words rather that adjectives/adverbs to describe something.  

John Green might as well been that speckled guy in the front, for that's exactly was he did. The descriptions and emotions he arrayed through mere pen on paper is extraordinary. 

Now, I will say this, these characters are supposed to be highschoolers. The language in which the spoke, the fluidity of words and the emotional self awareness they felt is not something have ever encountered, in high school or college. Perhaps the thought that death was near forced them to enter this greater state of self awareness, but it sometimes felt out of character for a teenager. Maturity as an individual does come with realization that they are staring down death. Teenager usually feel invincible- Hazel and Augustus knew that they weren't.  Maybe that's what make is so beautiful, choosing to live when you know that you are going to die. So many would just give up, not in their personal well being, sure they would do what the doctor said, but put off their live until they were "done" with whatever plagued them. Hazel and Augustus lived their life in spite of cancer. 

Now the love story. Their love story is going to be one of modern day literature legend, right up there with Allie and Noah, Big and Carrie and even Bella and Edward. These are the romances that we wish we could live but know that they will never be ours. No one will ever write me 365 letters or build me a house or bring me into a life of eternal darkness with a bit. (I'm okay about the last one, being alive forever would be exhausting- and, as Peter Pan said "To die will be an awfully big adventure") But that's why we have books- to enter words that are not obtainable in ordinary life. 

In short, I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone looking for something wholehearted to read. This book is a literary rollercoaster of emotions that leaves you feeling whole. Now, be forewarned, there's language and non-graphic sexual content in the book, so read at your own risk- but it is worth the read. 

“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.” 
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

I do, John. I do. 

Read. Love. Live. 

Catherine, professional reader since 13, hopefully one day an author