The Fault in Our Stars

  The first time that I heard about John Green was in a Charlie McDonnell video. I think it was his 'Dear Future Charlie' video and Mr Green made a cameo towards the end. I didn't know much about him at the time (though he is a HUGE deal in the vlogging world- 'VlogBrothers') and I didn't dwell on it. Two years on, my friend Charlotte says that I must read 'The Fault in Our Stars' as it's 'absolutely amazing' and a 'weeper'. My interest was immediately piqued as I love books that make me cry. The boys in my 'other school' (see here for more info) now believe that I am masochistic because I purposely read books that evoke weeping and sadness in me but that's not weird, right? I mean, everyone needs a good cry every once in a while...

  Anyways, The Fault in Our Stars is about Hazel Lancaster, who is suffering from a terminal cancerous tumour and totally disillusioned with life until she meets and begins a relationship with the extremely handsome Augustus Waters, changing her life irrevocably. Novels with characters that suffer from cancer are always hard to read as the reader knows that disaster and or death is inevitable. However, this novel was made even harder for me through Green's real descriptions of the horrors of living with cancer. And as the novel is written in the first person from Hazel's teenage perspective, nothing is glossed over or glamourized. Jenny Downham's 'Before I Die' is another book that I feel describes well how truly awful it is to be suffering with cancer, again from the point of view of a teenage girl.

  The Fault in Our Stars also made me think a lot about life as well as raising this question in me: is all the struggle in life really worth it if the person will be forgotten after death? Gangs of New York, which I watched recently also explores this question at the end. As a Christian, I personally believe that the struggle is worth it as there is the reward of eternal life in heaven after death, but for the atheist or agnostic reader, this is a question that would be quite difficult to answer. Although The Fault in Our Stars is very thought-provoking, my one critique of the book is that the characters (Hazel and Augustus especially) come across as pretentious and unrelatable at times with their manner of speech. I found this manner of speech unbelievable for sixteen year olds (too much of John Green himself); it was sometimes too philosophically convoluted with a risk of missing key point plots. But that is just a minute flaw in a brilliant book- no book is perfect.

  As well as the theme of being remembered after death, Green also looks into love and its scars, both physical and figurative, how one can live his/her mark in the world and the issue of star crossed lovers with the dynamic between Hazel and Augustus. I also liked the use of the 'book within a book' technique with 'An Imperial Affliction' and like many of the others who have read The Fault in Our Stars, I too wish Green would release it as an actual book.

  In all, The Fault in Our Stars is great, I did cry and I was up till about 4am in the morning as I couldn't stop thinking about life 'and stuff' after reading it. The book made me appreciate being alive as that is something that we often take for granted and in my eyes, it is miles better than Jodi Picoult's 'My Sister's Keeper' which aggravated me immensely. Good job, Mr Green.

Rating 4/5 ****

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0141345659