The Fault In Our Stars

A touching read, ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ by John Green. I was a blubbering wreck when reading this book… when thinking about it and talking about it (even writing about the book makes me sad). From the first sentence “Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed.” spoken by the main character Hazel, this is not going to be happy. You get yourself prepared, build up your defenses but nothing can prepare you for a splendid sculpture of simple words. It is a teen book written in the voice of a young girl and is a brilliantly written book. It is one of those ‘moving books’ the one that makes you think about life and if there’s a deeper meaning to it all (not my kind of book normally, I don’t want people preaching to me). I will, and have recommended this book to people, which is mean when you think about it, I know they’ll be crying too… unless they’re heartless.

The main characters Hazel and Angus, a boy she meets in a cancer support group, seem to talk beyond their years but I think this adds to the story. They had to go through a lot, which makes a person grow up fast. The book is depressing, yes and maybe that would put you off, but it shows the greatness of the writer, that he’s able to provoke so much emotion in a rather small book, in a simple way. It is a beautifully written book from the viewpoint of a child with cancer and makes you realise how much there is for you in life.

One of the things I would say about the book that needs improvement is the cover, its plain blue with writing inside bubbles, not something that makes you want to grab it. But then again what kind of cover can you make about a cancer book? Probably nothing too cheerful.