REVIEW : The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Published: January 10, 2012

I was a bit behind TFiOS bandwagon. It took the release of the movie and urging from my sister to finally jump on this one. So, I took it with me on my recent trip out to California and blasted through it on my six hour flight. 

I regret nothing.

The premise is simple enough, two young teens fall helplessly in love with one another - except for the fact that Hazel has cancer and Augustus is a cancer survivor. That in itself raises the stakes for their love affair. 

At first, I was put off by Hazel. She's a passive-aggressive misanthrope who's only real friend (besides her supportive parents) is a book about a girl with cancer. I didn't expect her to be anything less, but her narrative voice is one that takes getting used to. Once comfortably settled into her pacing, I was pretty impressed with Green's handy work. 

The events of the book and the characters reactions to them are raw and believable. It's a different voice speaking to the same old topics - cancer battles; navigating young adulthood; falling in love; dying. Hazel, Augustus, and their blind friend Isaac all present unique perspectives to the things many people hold for granted. Green has given up a piece of work representing bleak hope; a small infinity called the present moment. 

I still can't say I enjoyed the inflections used in the main narration, but they do reflect the way a young person would typically speak. The thing that did impress me most was Green's avoidance of taking the obvious route (based on other people's reactions, I'm sure you've assumed someone dies). Even this choice felt honest, not just a plot device making the book about kids with cancer even more upsetting. I felt that this pivotal event mirrored Hazel's sentiments about the weeding out of kids in the cancer support group early on in the novel, as well as speaking to the harsh realities of cancer. 

Overall, I was really please with the book. It was worth crying in an airplane next to total strangers. 

★★★★✩

Want more John Green? Check out his YouTube 

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