The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Published: January 10, 2012 by Dutton Juvenile
Received: on loan from a friend :)
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now.
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind. {goodreads.com}
As soon as I mentioned to others that I was beginning to read this novel, I received the same piece of advice from just about every one who had already read it: have tissues on hand. I thought, yeah ok. Usually when an abundance of people tell me a book made them cry, it has the opposite effect on me. Meaning, yes I'll find it sad, but my tear ducts will be on anticipation and won't fully let go. I was wrong. The tears came, and they came hard. So hard I forgot I was even reading and felt myself submerged in to the pain of these fictional characters. THAT is some powerful writing.
Hazel is a teenager, dying from terminal cancer. I say that she is dying and not living because this is how her character is introduced to us in the beginning of the story. Her world is nothing but hospital stays, breathing tubes, and sorrowful glances her way. Hazel's parents are not in denial of her situation, but they also want the best life possible in these final days. It's her mom who encourages her (insists actually) to attend a support group for other children with cancer. Not wanting to, but doing so anyway, Hazel is physically present for the support group meeting, but mentally she has checked out. It's not until the presence of Augustus Waters that Hazel begins to really wake up. Her once hazy world of tubes and needles begins to fall away, and she starts to really live her best days yet.
Augustus has become a victim to the world of cancer, too. But his battle has been won and he is attending the support group as a friend to Isaac, another character who I immediately fell in love with. Between Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac I found myself in awe of the bravery, yet the realism that each of these characters portray. The dialect among them is true to John Green fashion, witty and sarcastic, with those one liners thrown in that make you stop what you're reading and mark the page. His ability to capture such meaningful moments with just a few words has always intrigued me. John Green is a master at crafting this perfection.
My love for this story is infinite. I felt so connected with the characters that when things happened, I felt as though they were happening to me too. This novel takes the reader to a special place; one that is heavy and haunting, yet beautiful and surprising. I feel like a different person after experiencing this story. It's books like these that remind me why I adore literature so much. The impact they leave on you is so limitless that you start to look at your own world in a different light. Life is short, what we do with it is our own personal choice, but the opportunities can be endless if we allow them to be.
This book deserves a million more stars than what I am giving it. I hope you all will read this one and allow yourself the pleasure of meeting such significant characters among an emotional and inspiring story.
