The Fault in Our Stars

by Sarah

“That’s the thing about pain. It demands to be felt.” This quote is said a handful of times throughout the critically acclaimed John Green novel, The Fault in Our Stars. And with Josh Boone as the director for the upcoming movie based off the book, the thing about this novel is that it was demanded to be made into a movie.

January 10th, 2012, The Fault in Our Stars was published. It’s 2013 now, and John Green is becoming more and more of a household name. His novels are becoming increasingly popular, especially The Fault in Our Stars, which has cast Shailene Woodley as the lead of the upcoming movie version of it.

The Fault in Our Stars is about young Hazel Grace, a teenage girl who was diagnosed with lung cancer, and her lungs “suck at being lungs.” Her mother puts her in a support group with other teenage cancer patients, and she’s not fond of it. But during one meeting, support group regular, Isaac, brings along his ex-cancer patient friend, Augustus Waters. From the beginning, Hazel is interested, but not necessarily in a romantic way. He uses metaphors, has a diverse vocab, compares her to the lead of a beautiful girl in a movie and has a prosthetic leg. The book continues to talk about their experiences with one another and their families through the point of view of Hazel.

The main roles of the movie were given to Shailene as Hazel, Ansel Elgort as Augustus, and Nat Wolff as Isaac. John Green seems to have faith in the cast to bring his book to life, but he has been said to not have much control over the movie. He didn't write the script, and he’s not the director, unlike when the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower wrote the script for his book-turned-movie script.

It’s difficult to describe this book and not have it sound like cliché garbage. So kudos to whoever wrote the summary, because whenever I’m asked to describe it, I mistakenly end up making it sound like a waste of time. However, upon picking it up and your eyes grazing the first page, you may refuse to stop reading it until you devour the last bit of it.

If you’re anything like myself, you’ll be secretly livid toward John Green for creating such a lovely and flawless being such as Augustus, just to be reminded that he’s not real. This beautiful boy who will place a cigarette between his lips just to say that it’s a metaphor, that you put the thing that kills you between your lips, without giving it the power to do so. Thanks, John.

Other than that, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this book. It was beautifully written, well thought-out, and an entertaining read. It’s highly suggested that you pick up your copy today and await the movie with anticipation.