The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

Gaby Pathrose

           Over the past weeks, I've been reading The Fault in Our Stars and I'm about more than half way done with it. Known for its sad plot of the main character, Hazel Grace Lancaster, having a very severe stage of cancer, meeting a boy named Augustus Waters, who has been on remission for a year and a half now. Knowing what she is going through, Augustus can  relate and they easily connect with each other. Besides that, Hazel loves a book called An Imperial Affliction, but it has a very incomplete ending. She is sort of obsessed about trying to find out what happens at the end. She has tried to contact the author of An Imperial Affliction, Peter Van Houten, several times, but is never able to reach him because he's very reclusive and he lives in Amsterdam. After meeting Augustus, Hazel tells him all about the book and he reads it and really likes it. He also becomes very curious about the ending of the book. He emailed Peter Van Houten, telling him that Hazel had shown him the book, and they are both very curious about what truly happens at the end. His assistant responded, saying that Peter would love to meet both of them and talk to both Hazel and Augustus. So he decided to use his "Make a Wish" wish, that he had been saving (Hazel had used hers to go to Disney World when she was younger). The Make a Wish organization arranged a trip for Augustus and he asked if Hazel could come with him. So Augustus, Hazel and Hazel's mom traveled to Amsterdam to meet Peter Van Houten. (And that's about how far I've read.)

         While some readers might see this storyline as too cheesy and stereotypical of oh the girl has cancer, falls in love, and then probably dies in the end, I like the care-free writing and honesty that John Greene incorporates in the story. I like how the author is writing in the perspective of a girl and also captivates all her girly feelings and thoughts that she has about being sick and her relationship with Augustus.

         
          So far, this book has reminded me of the movie, My Sister's Keeper, because they both are about a girl with a bad illness, falling in love with a boy who has also been sick. I really like the style of how the book has been written. It is written in a very informal way, showing how Hazel thinks. (The genre of this book is realistic fiction.)