Book Review: The Fault in our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this book a long time ago due to all the hype it seemed to get. Also, since I loved Paper Towns I thought this would be similar. Since then I left this book to collect dust in my shelf until today. I read this in 5 hours, straight. Which says a lot about the book, it is a page turner. There seemed to be something captivating about their travesty and the inevitability of human mortality that I can't seem to get enough of. The question of "Would today, be the day?" kept me on my feet, as if readying myself for the worse to come. Eventually it did, I have even accepted that there wouldn't be another miracle. They would both die, even romantically so. I even thought Augustus would want to die in this fashion, not peaceful, not succumbing to the illness but something more gallant. Perhaps, he would donate his lungs for her! I thought. He seemed like the self-sacrificing hero damsels would die for. Nonetheless, the ending did not disappoint. Tragic and painful at best. I would like to think all the people who read this were masochistic. We all knew what we were getting ourselves into and yet, we kept on reading.

There were only a few things that bothered me, though it did not change my perception of the book as a whole. First, the dialogue. This put me off because I thought teenagers don't REALLY talk like that. Maybe it is another of those "perks" they were talking about when you're already terminal. I don't know but for me the language used couldn't even pass off as everyday communication language let alone used by a teenager.

Second, the parents, actually, every one of the characters seemed to talk in this intelligent kind of monotonous way. Again the dialogue but another issue that concerns it. It seemed like they all had the same type of humor. It is funny. But you can no longer differentiate the people talking. Like somehow, Hazel's dad, a self-admitted technical guy who barely says anything all throughout the book, breaks into a monologue about life and whatnot. Yeah, I like the thoughts Green puts into his books, most especially the ironies he points out for the readers' to digest. I just think he needs to even it out a little more.

The characters needed more variety. So to me they were a bit flat, which is my third concern. For example, besides being mushy what are the other characteristics of Hazel's Father? Gus' Parents were also vague to me, most especially his other sisters. It was as if they were just there to fill things up a bit and there was also Hazel's friend. But I guess I am thinking just as Hazel thought about the book.

Overall, this book is not perfect. Despite all my comments about it this novel embodied my beliefs; about life, death and the in between. People would continue to disappoint and inspire, love and loath.. it is all part of our humanity. What is wrong is when people could no longer do these things, when people become only but memories, when people fade to oblivion.


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