The Fault In Our Stars- Steph's Book Review

 

   



    I love my book club. It is one of my favorite nights each month. I've been attending for around 6 years now and have read so many things I would never have read on my own. The book we read for May was one of them. I'd seen The Fault In Our Stars on book lists and goodreads but after reading the synopsis I decided it wasn't for me. Reading a book about teenagers with various terminal illnesses just didn't sound like my idea of a good time. I don't enjoy going in to a book or movie knowing that I'm probably going to weep. But one of my friends at book club mentioned she had read it and really wanted to discuss it with us so everyone voted in favor of this book. I was extremely skeptical. And then very pleasantly surprised.

    It is relatively short and very easy to read. I've never read anything else by John Green but based on this experience I would seek out more of his books. I enjoyed his writing style very much and was surprised by his ability to create a relatable teenage girl. The story itself is told by Hazel, a 16 year old with cancer. She has had cancer for a number of years and lives in a kind of limbo. Not in remission exactly but it't not progressing either. Hazel attends a Cancer Support Group and there meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor. You know where this is going don't you?

      I couldn't believe how immediately I felt attached to the characters. I loved the dialogue! Their interactions with each other and other characters in the book rang so true and familiar to me. I told my book club friends that Hazel reminded me of me! She talks like I talk. She interacts with her friends the way I do and the way she thinks really struck a cord with me. And I'm sorry you can't help but fall a little in love with Augustus Waters. He breezes in to her life with humor, philosophy and a killer smile. I absolutely loved the relationships that developed between Hazel and her parents, her friends and Augustus. It felt real to me, very human, with the emotional swings of a teenager coupled with the depth and sadness of a life with a sick child. I have a hard time with some of the teenage heartbreaker stories by Nicholas Sparks because it feels like he's ripping your heart out just because he can. The whole story is told to break you in to pieces. I didn't feel that in this book. I needed 3 tissues to get through it but none of the emotion or sadness was unnecessary. It all belonged. And by the end I had felt it all just enough to be satisfied.