The Fault in Our Stars

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Publisher: Penguin Books (2012)

Genre(s): Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Length: 316 pages

Synopsis:  Hazel Lancaster has a unique outlook on life.  As a teenage terminal cancer patient, she can see what's left of her time laid out before her, filled with guilt, pain, and pity.  She's seen it all before, having sat through support group meetings for other "cancer kids," watching new arrivals and listening to the ever lengthening list of those who've already passed away.  She's seen it in her parents' eyes, the pain and worry of having to devote their time to a daughter whose fate has already been written.  Hazel thought she'd seen it all... until she met Augustus Waters.  Capable of turning her world upside down with his broad proclamations and simple acts of caring, Augustus has given something Hazel thought she'd needn't bother with: someone to live for.

My Rating: 5 Stars

My Opinion:  This was a truly remarkable book.  I knew of Green through the video blog "The Vlog Brothers" (Nerdfighters!  Woo!) and through a good friend who is a fan of his writing as well.  I was excited to finally get the chance to read this book, thought I knew nothing at all about it until page one.  That's all it took.  Green was woven a story that speaks to both cynicism and sentiment, capturing the voice of today's young people exquisitely.  Article after article proclaims that the current generation of young adults is entitled, lazy, and immature.  No wonder we're acrimonious and jaded!  But in the midst of all that harshness, we're still looking for tenderness, connection, even nostalgia in a world of digital distance.  This book lets its characters be both.  It lets them push people away and draw them close.  It lets them text and email and still be real, living, breathing, flesh-and-blood people.  They can be angry and change their minds.  They make mistakes and have poor judgement.  They are so very real, and yet... Green has written them a story.  It's not real life, it's a beautiful, poignant story.  Like the play from which the book's title is taken, Green sets these characters out before the audience and lets the drama unfold.  Half the beauty comes from the characters, and half from the language.  Seldom have I read a best-seller so easily quotable.  In fact, "as [I] read I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."  I loved this book.  Unabashedly enjoyed it, read through the night to finish it, and yes, cried.  Perhaps it won't speak to every reader, but I certainly think it's worth the time to find out.