As I mentioned to you earlier this week, I've been ripping through books over the last few weeks as I've been flying around from place to place. One of those books was "The Fault In Our Stars" by John Green. The book was recommended to me by two friends (both of whom are voracious readers) so I had pretty high expectations.
The premise of the book is kind of a spoiler in of itself, so apologies in advance.
On page one we learn our protagonist Hazel has cancer. On page eight we meet her love interest, Augustus, who we presume also has cancer, as they meet at a cancer support group.
The book tells the story of Hazel and Augustus, two teenagers with incredible health problems who have a shockingly normal and relatable romance. As you are reading, there is a constant hum in your brain telling you, "They're sick, they're sick, they're sick," but despite that, you can't help but blush and swoon as their relationship grows and they make grand gestures to surprise to each other.
I don't want to give away any more of the plot because you should absolutely read the book. Instead I will focus on the writing itself. John Green has a way of taking any reader, no matter his or her age, and transporting them right back to high school. For example, the way he writes about that first day when Hazel notices Augustus staring at her across the room, it would make anyone blush.
One of my favorite lines in the book comes from a conversation between Hazel and Augustus where they are both trying to protect the other person from what he/she might become if their illness continues to deteriorate. To put things to rest, Augustus just smiles and says, "Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you." See, blushing again.
Page after page, Green brings you right back to those pivotal teenage moments - your first date that lasted 12 hours, the first time you read a book just to understand why the other person liked it so much, the nightly phone calls that went on for hours, driving around the neighborhood just so you didn't have to go home . . . the list goes on. He captures it all so perfectly and he writes so honestly from both the male and female perspectives.
I'm not the only one who thinks Green has a knack for teenage storytelling, this book is being made into a movie, which will debut in June 2014 starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
You should be warned before reading the book or seeing the movie, this is a tearjerker. I personally didn't cry, but everyone I know who read the book balled for the last 20-30 pages.
What about you? Did you read "The Fault In Our Stars"? Did you weep?
*Image courtesy of Amazon.com.
