Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars

By: John Green

Published by Dutton

Release Date: January 10, 2012

Genre: YA contemporary

313 pages

Buy it on Amazon, IndieBound

 or Barnes and Noble
Source: purchased by reviewer




I read this book 6 months ago, and it's still bouncing around in my head. I've read at least 30 books since having read The Fault In Our Stars, and I still can't get it out of my mind. Why didn't I review it before now? Because the best reads are the hardest to put into words. It's difficult to translate such strong feeling into words that are appropriately expressive.

I found this book in the middle of a summer book binge. I'm not even sure why I found it; I'm sure someone was kind enough to recommend it. What I do know is that I picked it up one morning, and had finished it before I headed to bed. I had other things planned for that day, but I couldn't be bothered. The thought of setting this book aside for a few hours made my heart ache. So I just didn't.

Our heroine is Hazel Lancaster, a 16-year-old living with thyroid cancer, a condition that should have killed her a couple of years ago. Hazel's situation requires that she live differently than most teen girls- the most glaring example of this is the oxygen tank which accompanies her at all times. Hazel is
unable to attend school,and unwilling to create attachments, fearing that she will only eventually leave a wake of sorrow when she dies. She is, at the beginning of the book, isolated and resigned.

This changes when Augustus Waters shows up for a cancer kids support group meeting Hazel attends. He is in remission, attending the meeting with a friend- and forms a quick bond with Hazel. He challenges her to live life more fully. He keeps up with her intellectually, and makes her pick up the pace. He is unapologetically honest and affectionate and wholly himself. I completely understand why Hazel falls in love with him; I do, too, every time I pick the book back up.

A word about plot: There are major events, of course. The plot is beautifully crafted, and works in the background doing exactly what it's supposed to do, like clockwork. It's there, but the real star of the show is the impressive characterization.

I have listed above that I've purchased this book. In truth, I originally borrowed it from the public library. I was sad when I had to return it, and eventually purchased my own copy. I wanted to be able to revisit these characters. I wanted to be able to hand it to my children to read. I wanted to show my appreciation to the author, and encourage the publisher to continue printing his work. Mostly because I'll be reading every single thing John Green publishes- both for the entertainment value, and for the gorgeous example of how YA should be written.

Summary from GoodReads:
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors 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 tumors 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.