Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Book Review: The Fault in our Stars, by John Green

The Fault in our Stars, by John Green: 

Moody, precocious Cancer Teens team up to fight hypocrisy, search out the meaning of the universe, converse with an utterly fallible God stand-in, and fall in love. Tragedy inevitably strikes. 

Much of this novel's success lies in its adherence to an emerging sub-cliche of cancer struggle, which is that the uber-cliche of cancer victims as stoic hero-fighters is itself an unrealistic bullshit tripe intended to solace those who don't have cancer. The feedback loop of heroic anti-heroes works pretty well, however, mainly due to the earnestness of Green's overall plot and prose, and only if your bullshit meter is properly calibrated for "Teen Fiction." 

Sure, The Fault in Our Stars is often overly clever. Sure, it's cloyingly romantic, and it's often manipulative in a way that its own heroes would cynically disdain. But none of that kept a certain middle-aged curmudgeon from tearing up a couple of times. You've been warned.

3 comments:

Mirza Ghalib said...

I wanted to give this book a read for a long time....and trust me when I say this..it was well worth it!

This book makes its author and his other creations famous!

Some books have words that you find hard but never bother to look up the dictionary for its meaning. But this book and its collection of "hard words" intrigue you into finding their meaning so that you don't miss a thing!

Alaska Fishing Lodge said...

It was lovely. I found myself smiling more than crying, but I loved how it felt rich and profound and all sorts of wonderful.

All Alaska Outdoors Fishing Lodge - Alaska Ptarmigan Hunting said...

I absolutely loved this as well :) When I started reading it I was thinking to myself that pssh it wasn't an emotional book and then I get to THAT PART and I just immediately cried buckets afterwards. It was such an emotional rollercoaster ride for me and although it made me cry so much I don't regret reading it at all:)