John Green released The Fault in Our Stars, his sixth novel, in January 2012. Since then it has grown in popularity astronomically, garnering fans worldwide and a movie released in early June. There is no denying the success of The Fault in Our Stars. During its release weekend, the film roped in $48,000,000 in box office sales and the novel has not moved from The New York Times Bestseller’s List since its debut. It would be easy to dismiss TFiOS as another teen romance that will eventually become background noise to another novel’s fame. Something suggests, however, that this love story is one for the ages.
Hazel Grace is a sixteen-year-old living with lung cancer. A self-described grenade, she is kept alive by the miracle cancer drug Phalanxifor (fictitious but based on existing medicine) and the oxygen that helps her “crappy lungs” be less crappy. Hazel wishes that she could live a normal life, one that involves fake IDs and does not include support group. Her best friends are limited to her mother and Peter Van Houten, author of Hazel’s favorite book An Imperial Affliction. One day at support group Hazel’s little circle expands to fit Augustus Waters, a larger-than-life cancer survivor with one and a half legs and an affinity for metaphors and symbols. With Gus’s friend Isaac, a blind lovesick teen who attends the same support group, they embark on wonderful and slightly crazy adventures. Whether it is egging Isaac’s ex-girlfriend’s car or traveling to Amsterdam to meet Mr. Van Houten, Hazel and Gus learn about each other and love while facing the hard, horrible truths of life with an illness.
Perhaps the most refreshing and endearing aspect of TFiOs is how realistic it is. Green does not try to sugarcoat the awful side effects of cancer and dying; everyone in the novel has dealt with hardship at varying degrees. Instead he offers characters who are true and who you would want as a friend. They are flawed, they have their own quirks, and they fall in love like one falls asleep. Yes, there are some unfair bumps in the road and many obstacles, but Green is not here to create a fantasy world with ninja unicorns and vampire bad boys. This author gives us an amazing love story and some important life lessons. (Though people mainly read it for the love story).
The phenomenon of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters is here to stay, to the delight of millions of fans and to the chagrin of those who are not as dazzled. So excuse the countless quotes, the secret (and not-so-clandestine) references, and the fact that every fan will never again look at the word “okay” the same way. If you haven’t experienced the story yet, whether in book or movie form, I highly suggest you do. Between the three of them Isaac, Hazel, and Augustus have five legs, four eyes, two and a half working pairs of lungs, and one epic story.
If you’re looking for a more in-depth look of The Fault in our Stars, check out Olivia Connolly’s review “Book Review – The Fault in Our Stars”.
If you want to hear more from John Green, you can look up his other equally amazing works, or you can look him up on his YouTube channel The VlogBrothers.