A Little Piece of Amazingness

FINALLY!! I have finally read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Words cannot explain my happiness at this moment. And let me tell you, it was definitely worth the wait. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me think. John Green, you have done it again. Thank you.

Since January 10th when The Fault in Our Stars came out, I had been hearing all sorts of amazing things about the novel. My own sister, who doesn’t cry at books often, mind you, said she cried at this book. That is some good writing. John Green always does a spectacular job creating characters that you really care about. Pudge and Alaska. Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey. Q and Margo. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Tiny. And now Hazel and Augustus. But more on them in a minute. First, you’re probably what this book is even about. Well let me tell you.

Hazel is 16 and has terminal cancer. She’s lived for most of her teenager-hood knowing that she wouldn’t live a long life. Her mom forces her to go to a cancer support group, because she’s “depressed.” It was there she met Augustus. They fall in love despite the odds against them, and together they struggle with life’s greatest questions. Does my life have meaning? Will I be remembered after I die? Will I make an impact on the world?

So the story line may not be one that we haven’t exactly seen before (star-crossed lovers…sound familiar?), but honestly, what story line hasn’t been used? With so many books, movies, and other forms of stories out there, it’s hard to make a completely original story line. While an exciting story line is important, I don’t think that it’s the most important aspect of a book. A book could have this amazingly complex story line, one that no one’s ever seen before, and still not have an effect on people. They could still find it so-so. Why? Because I believe it’s the characters that make the story. Without strong characters, it’s almost impossible to create a strong novel. Speaking from my own writing experience, once you have developed your main character (and I mean fully developed. You must know him/her inside and out), the story will come. The characters will create the story. I think that’s what John Green does with Hazel and Augustus. He created two great, quirky, interesting characters that you really come to care about by the end of the novel. And that is why I love this book so much. Because I feel in love with Hazel and Augustus.

Well that was kind of a ramble about good books. And it’s probably a point that I’ve made many times before. But with The Fault in Our Stars…it’s the truth. The characters just make the novel. And the many different adventures/dates that they had just made me smile. Even though cancer was a big part of their relationship, I still wanted their relationship. It was just so sweet. Also, as a side note, I would love to be able to read An Imperial Affliction. Sounds like it would be a fabulous novel. If you don’t know what that is, you should read the book. And even if that didn’t spark your interest, you should read the book anyway. In case you didn’t get it from any of my earlier comments, it’s fantastic. 🙂

I guess I’ve gone on about the amazingness of The Fault in Our Stars enough for now. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it in the future, once I’ve read it at least one or two more times. Or maybe three. Definitely John Green’s best book by far. And now I shall finish The Hobbit.