Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.
The Fault in Our Stars follow the story of sixteen-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster who was diagnosed with stage 4 thyroid cancer and metastasis on her lungs at 13. Her parents force her to attend a support group for children living with cancer and it is there that she first meets the mysterious, beautiful and cancer-recovering Augustus Waters. Different from any other boy Hazel has met before, the two soon fall in love and become the one thing that keeps the other going - that is, until, things take turn for the worse.
It goes without saying that this novel is undoubtedly the most wonderful, heartbreaking and beautifully written book I've come across this year, quite possibly ever. It truly is a stunning piece of fiction that I believe deserves to be read by everyone, regardless of age and preferred reading genre.
The way in which Green handles the themes dealt with in this novel is so honourable. Although categorised as a YA novel with a subject that is sensitive to many, Green deals with everything in a mature and understandable manner that enlightens the reader of the severity of cancer and the effect it has on sufferers and their friends and family, as well as giving an accurate portrayal with the correct terminology used of the disease.
Green has successfully managed to bring life to characters that no other author could possibly create. You become so engrossed by and fall so in love with the protagonists, Hazel and August, and so attached that they feel almost real to you; it's like you've known them personally for many years. It's a lot like seeing your best friend fall for someone they truly deserve and instead of being jealous of all the time they spend together you spur them on to spend as much time together as possible in what little time they have left.
I can do nothing but praise Green's writing style and his capability to captivate you from the very first page. His descriptive techniques are so engrossing to read and the narrative so thought it and well developed that I struggled to put the book down. It's clear that Green understands what true love is and doesn't make it a superficial matter. I found myself relating to every character in some way or another which is so rare in a book and that really highlights just how talented Green is and how beautiful his writing is.
August and Hazel use every moment given to them in the most beautiful and cherished way possible. They don't dwindle on the past or the events and troubles they both know they'll inevitably face in the future. It's all about the now for them and that is what makes them exceptional. It is not the struggle of their cancer battles that define either of them, but who they are in spite of it and that's what makes their love so real. Up until they met each other they felt as if nobody understood them; they didn't have anybody close enough who has had to physically and emotionally deal with the same occurrences. Green has created real characters with real personalities and problems and individuality and love and all of that remains consistent throughout the novel.
Ultimately this book made me laugh, cry, angry, happy and hopeful all at the same time. So much beauty is balanced against sorrow, so much warmth and humour against sadness in world where wishes don't always come true.
I give John Green and The Fault in Our Stars ★★★★★
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