Saturday 19 October 2013

Week 13 - Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars



The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I am unashamed to say that I am a fan of reading young adult (YA) fiction. I try to keep up with the latest books and often stand around the teenage fiction section at the bookstore in the hopes of catching some snippets of conversation from kids about what they are reading. I was not aware of the popularity of The Fault in Our Stars (TFiOS) by John Green however, until starting this course and decided to pick up a copy during mid-semester break. Firstly I was surprised to hear that young people were devouring a book about teenagers and cancer. Secondly, I was even more surprised to hear that this story didn’t involve vampires, magic, or zombies, and that it wasn’t set in a dystopian world where kids fight each other to the death. Maybe I’ve been too far out of the loop, but it seemed to me that for a while at least, there was a real trend for YA fiction to have supernatural or fantastical elements to them. It is refreshing to read a book about ‘normal’ teenagers and the trials they go through simply by growing up. The fact that the two protagonists both have cancer is probably the realest part of the story, even though to ‘normal’ teenagers cancer may be as foreign as a dragon or vampire.

I believe the story paints an accurate picture of young romance and teenage disenchantment with the world. The protagonist is a teenage girl battling with a fictional form of cancer in her lungs. She meets her love interest during a cancer support group, him having lost the lower part of his right leg to cancer. They fall in love over a book and go on a search to find the author so they can ask him about the ending.

This story made me laugh out loud and it made me cry. I think it captures the essence of love, loss, hope, and grief, all at the same time. I found myself reflecting on my life and the things I take for granted every day (like breath! I don’t need a machine to help me breathe, how lucky!). I liked how the parents were treated as human beings, they were not the foreboding ‘other’ or antagonist in the story, they were just there and it was great to read.

I find myself wondering still why young people are so taken with the story. Is it the romance? Is it the characters? Or is it the fact that John Green does a fantastic job at not talking down to his readers. The story-telling is sophisticated, there is no condescension in the prose, and he treats his target audience like the young adults they are. I like this approach and I think it is his writing moreso than the actual story that has helped his popularity, very reminiscent of the movie Juno in some ways.

John Green also uses a variety of social media to connect with his fans and does this very successfully. You can find him on his blog/website, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, or Tumblr

Image Courtesy of Penguin Books.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Annette,
    This book sounds really great, it's going on my holiday/no longer at uni reading list! I like that there is a book out there that doesn't focus on supernatural themes or kids being brutal killing machines. I am hesitant to read a book on cancer as after reading one book about a girl who ultimately dies from cancer which was rather disappointing and seemed a very selfish character. This sounds a lot better though, I like how you mentioned that the parents seemed realistic as opposed to the "other" or antagonists. I can't wait for the holidays!!
    Susan :)

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