Some books aim to make readers laugh; some aim for the heart – they make you fall in love with the characters; some target the tear ducts- make them cry; and others try to make them feel the cocktail of endless emotions. John Green’s “The Fault in our Stars” does it all.
Narrated by Hazel Grace, the first page of the book draws you in with its witty and philosophical lines. “Depression is a side effect of dying.” As you gasp at the beauty of the framed sentence, the narrative continues at its own pace. The lines are all realistic and true to their word: neither pain nor tragedy are romantic, nor is joy or laughter. They don’t make you cry your heart out, but rather keep you constantly on the verge of tears. The exact word for it is ‘tragic realism’. And there is something to think about on every page.
Suffering from stage 4 thyroid cancer, Hazel lives her life knowing that she could be dead at any moment. She dropped out of school, lost her friends and her social life to cancer. She thinks about death, lives around it, around people who love her, and wonders about her life after her death. She is depressed, a side effect of cancer, which in turn is a side effect of death, as she chooses to put it. She until she meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor and amputee, who has a tremendous sense of wit, wisdom, joke, and metaphor. They both share their likes and dislikes: their immense admiration for ‘An Imperial Affliction’ and Peter van Houten, and their love of video games. The mere presence of this fictional book is seductive.
Hazel gives the book to Augustus, who reads it and is all praise for it. She shares her views; opinions about the book- the fate of the characters in the book; and her agitation that the ‘end’ isn’t actually an end. Together they start with a mission to email the author, who is a recluse, and ask him what will happen next and if a sequel is expected. Augustus does everything he can to fulfill Hazel’s one wish: to know what happens to her favorite characters after the book’s narrator dies. This takes them on a trip to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. There is love, unfulfilled expectations, and realization of impending doom, and amid all the commotion, sweet dying hearts beat for each other. The last part is about fighting illness, pain, shame and unfulfilled dreams; and live through death, loss, and the emptiness left behind.
John Green keeps it so real throughout the novel without going overboard. I will surely read ‘Paper Towns’ soon, now in my TBR file. And looking forward to the movie, to see Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters on the screen and relive their lives.