Synopsis: 17-year old Hazel Lancaster has her hands
full battling cancer – thyroid cancer metastasized into her lungs – and she
doesn’t have time for boys, thankyouverymuch. Until she meets Augustus Waters,
a cancer survivor that steals her heart. Gus is charming, funny, and (most
importantly) hot. John Green’s newest effort is a flawless exploration of young
love.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Discussion
Points:
I’m not sure how else to say this –
John Green broke my heart. In fact, this novel touched me so deeply, it’s
almost too difficult for me to talk about. I spend the last 75 or so pages
alternating between bawling my eyes out and laughing out loud. Gus’s
“pre-funeral” is quite possibly one of the most heartbreaking scenes I’ve ever
read. I can’t possibly imagine how that feels – to know that you’re dying and
wanting to give your friends as much closure as possible, to comfort them as
they grieve for your death. Gus is so wise beyond his years, but I don’t find
it unbelievable. Quite the opposite, in fact. I think going through something
like cancer at a young age forces you to grow up. Hazel and Gus are both forced
to accept that they might not (and, in the case of one of them, will not) live
out the happy, healthy life their parents imagined for them. Instead of feeling
sorry for themselves, Hazel and Gus throw themselves into lending as much
comfort as they can to their families and friends. That whole pre-funeral had
me sobbing, and Gus’s eulogy for Hazel at the end made me a bit hysterical.
Thanks, John Green, for that.
One of my favorite things about the
novel, and, I think, what makes so wonderful, is that it feels so incredibly
personal. Honestly, it’s like the reader is looking through a window into the
very real life of Hazel Lancaster. Reading this book was like reading Hazel’s
diary, and at times, it felt almost too personal. There were moments – like Gus
at the gas station – that I almost wished I could look away, that Hazel
wouldn’t share such intimate details of her and Gus’s battles with cancer. But
isn’t that what a good book ought to do? Shouldn’t great literature push your
boundaries, and make you feel something, even if that something is awkwardness?
Green’s characterization is spot-on, as usual, and Hazel’s voice is so strong. I
obviously don’t know what it’s like to be a 17 year old girl with cancer, but I
do know what it’s like being a 17 year old girl, and Green captures Hazel’s
spirit so well.
Green
doesn’t cringe away from difficult topics – his body of work to this point
illustrates that beautifully. The Fault
in Our Stars is definitely no exception. He tackles the horribly unfair
prospect of children dying from cancer, and shows his subject matter the
respect it deserves. At no point does the narrative seem dishonest or treat
Hazel’s story as less than worthy, or as something to be looked down upon. It’s
that respect that Green gives Hazel and Gus that makes this novel great. I know
an awful lot of Esther Earl, a real-life teenage nerdfighter that passed away
from thyroid cancer, went into the story, so it’s no surprise that John Green
didn’t take the story he was telling lightly. Under Green’s care, Hazel’s story
becomes so much more than a way to grieve for and celebrate Esther, and so much
more than a work of fiction. The Fault in
Our Stars is a story about life, love, and death, and will surely be an
inspiration for generations of readers to come.
To read more about
Esther’s story, visit the website for This Star Won’t Go Out, a foundation set
up in her honor.
Mischief Managed,
Slim Pearl
Silver-Feather
Currently Reading: The Wind Through the Keyhole, Stephen King
Books Read in 2012: 10
