Category: Young Adult
Book Review on The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
In a book review of The Fault in Our Stars by molliebookworm in The Guardian last Sunday, she said,
“If you enjoy young adult books, full of witty humour and heartbreaking events, this book is perfect for you. Expect to laugh, cry and smile throughout this masterpiece by the amazing John Green. I highly recommend this book.”
Admittedly, I am not one of those who enjoy YA novel books. I have heard that the book was actually good. However, at first, it did not interest me. I was apprehensive that the book would turn out to be all style and would lack substance. I hate to read books with plots that would just bounce along till they reach necessary tear-jerking endings. This was not the case on one of John Green’s masterpieces. I was definitely mistaken. Be warned that although the book is intricately written, it is also emotionally devastating in my own standpoint.
Two affable characters meet at a cancer support group meeting: Hazel Lancaster who has terminal thyroid cancer (narrator) and Augustus Waters who is a cancer survivor. The two become close even with Hazel’s desire to escape from becoming the reason to inadvertently cause pain over her passing. She considers herself a grenade waiting to explode. They skim between profound conversations on life’s meaning. These characters do not just show us every painful instance of living a life with cancer but we are also shown their battle not just to continue living but also to stop cancer from overshadowing their heart, mind and character. Their quest for Peter Van Houten, author of An Imperial Affliction is another reason to read further on the book.
The young adult novel is not just an entertaining novel but it is also a thought-provoking book that has the power to move readers. It shows that your life will never augment if you feel insignificant about yourself because of terminal disease. It focuses on becoming mature, learning to take accountability for your life and defining yourself by who you are and not what disease you may have.