The Fault in our Stars, by John Green is the tale of a tragic love story between 17 year olds Hazel Grace and Augustus (Gus) Waters. Told by Hazel, the book starts with Hazel retelling her cancer-story for the umteenth time, going about her life. Medications, doctor visits, and the general depression that comes with being terminally ill. When she meets Augustus Waters in a cancer support group, it is love at first sight. Throughout the book, they fall deeper in love and learn how to cope with the enormous tragedy that is cancer.
So, I’m sure everyone has seen the movie, but for those who haven’t, I won’t spoil anything. Anyway, I absolutely loved the book. I loved the movie too, but I’m 99% positive the sole purpose of this book was to make every girl reading jealous she doesn’t have a charming Augustus Waters in her life. Certainly worked on me. The love they shared was absolutely once in a lifetime and I feel lucky to have even experienced even from second person and even if it was only fictional. That’s one of the greatest things about this story was that it made you feel something. You could feel all the emotions as if they were your own. The love, fear, anger, sadness, all of it is so intense. And I know I’m a total loser for liking a stereotypical “chick-flick” but patronize me if you must, I enjoyed every minute of the movie and the book.
Sappy stuff isn’t usually my forte, but for this I’d make an exception. Like I said, the love was indescribable. Within the short amount of time they had together, they made their own infinity (“Some infinities are bigger than other infinities,” Some of the quotes are just beautiful, by the way). They had a lifetime of love within their numbered days and it makes you feel something. More so with the book than the movie, I believe, but still. I’m not sure if this was or would be true with anyone else, but for me, it also made me stop and reflect on some of my past and current relationships. Not so much comparing as evaluating with new questions. So, I could also tie a personal connection to it and it’s a great feeling being able to do that with a book.
As for the actual structure of the book: brilliant. It weeds out the people who could not comprehend the strong vocabulary within the first chapter. To understand, you’d probably have to keep a dictionary with you at all times. Not that it’s a bad thing, I enjoyed the long words and how it actually makes you stop and think sometimes. It was chronologically ordered over the few months and it really added to the “journey” aspect. Like, each day you lived their experiences with them.
All in all, I loved this book. I can’t find anything to complain about, other than the obvious “fall-in-love-with-a-character-then-they-break-your-heart” business, but a writer has to do what they have to do, I suppose. I give it a 10. I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone, because some people definitely don’t like having their heart broken by terminally ill 17 year olds in love, but I think it was a trip and I’m glad I was a part of it.
acutetrainwreck 