Writing Style – 5/5

The subject matter that is explored in The Fault in Our Stars is incredibly heavy. In writing about a girl with terminal cancer, John Green is stepping into a world that is very personal to far too many people. This is risky, but where other authors, even really good ones, might have failed, he absolutely hits a home run. Employing just the right amount of humor and wit, Green strikes a perfect balance between love, grief, and the most important and daunting questions in life. This is easily one of the most well-written books I have ever read.

The Characters – 5/5

The story is told through the eyes of Hazel Grace, a teenage girl with terminal cancer. Green’s depiction of her is, quite frankly, masterful. In more ways than I have space to elucidate here, Hazel Grace provides an incredible role model for adolescent girls. The rest of the cast is varied, interesting, and expertly crafted.

The Plot – 5/5

At the core of the plot is Hazel Grace’s battle with cancer. It is something that affects everyone around her, the source of her greatest fears and heartaches. Still, this more than just a story about the fight against a deadly disease. There is love, grief, laughter, tears, and a full gambit of life questions. I loved every minute of this book even while I “hated” several parts of it (read the book and you’ll understand).

Overall – 5/5

I will be the first to admit that typical teenage romance stories make me want to slam my head repeatedly into a large, solid object. I’m usually drawn to stories with more action, suspense, and adventure. Despite this, The Fault in Our Stars is one of the best books I have ever read. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

In my review of Mistborn I made the assertion that I didn’t believe the classification of “young adult” should preclude a novel from being considered a truly great work. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is my case in point. I can honestly say that this is one of my “desert island” books, perhaps one of the top five I have ever read.

I recently completed my graduate degree in Youth Ministry Leadership. The culmination of this program required me to conduct a year-long study of a topic relating to the field of adolescent research. Because I have moved out of a ministry career, I chose a topic that closely related to my career as an author. The study, titled The Twilight Effect, set out to examine the expectations of love and behaviors in the romantic relationships of adolescent girls and how they correlate with the influence of romantic themes in young adult fiction. This study resulted in a 200 page thesis, the vast majority of which I’m sure very few people would ever care to read. The plus side of this study was that I was tasked with studying popular young adult fiction, a genre I both enjoy reading and writing for.

One of the works of young adult fiction I chose to study was The Fault in Our Stars. Having never read anything by John Green I had no idea what to expect. Honestly, I was anticipating a sappy, bubblegum book filled with cheesy romantic gestures, boy-crazed girls, and most likely a love triangle. Instead, I encountered a gripping story of pain, romance, and the struggle with imminent mortality. In short, I found myself reading one of the most honest, enriching books I have ever read.

Writing Style – 5/5

John Green chose to write this book from the perspective of its female protagonist, Hazel Grace Lancaster. Before I review his writing style, let me first admit to one of my rather irrational biases. I have always had a difficult time connecting with a book written primarily about a female protagonist. This is only increased when the book is written in first-person as The Fault in Our Stars was. Now, before you start filling up the comments section with accusations of sexism, please understand that this is not because I have anything against female heroines. I think the fairer gender is capable of pretty much anything that men are. My primary reason for this bias is that when I read a book I like to completely lose myself in it, identifying as much as possible with the protagonist. Books featuring a primary female lead are just more of a challenge because I am… well… a guy, which means I don’t always identify 100% with said character. (I don’t think it’s that unreasonable.) That said, I have truly enjoyed a great number of books driven by a female protagonist, but when I start one I always recognize that it may be an uphill battle for me to truly relate to what I’m reading. The reason I included this information in this review is to illustrate that The Fault in Our Stars already presented an obstacle for me—one that John Green absolutely obliterated within the first few pages.

Humor and Wit

The reader will discover on the first few pages (if he/she hasn’t already heard through social media) that Hazel Grace has terminal cancer. Right off the bat I realized that I was in for a rather heavy subject matter. I can’t imagine being John Green, sitting down to write this book knowing that he is going to be touching on raw nerves in his readers. It seems that you are hard pressed to find someone who has not been affected by cancer, if not personally then in someone they care about. Because of this, he is not only telling a fictional story about characters created in his head, he is also telling the story of so many people who have suffered at the hand of this terrible affliction. In fact, elements in this book are somewhat based on a real young woman who John Green had the privilege to meet. This is a heavy responsibility for an author to bear, and bear it he does quite well.

One of Green’s methods of holding back the heaviness of the story is in his use of wit, sarcasm, and humor. Hazel Grace, as I will talk about more in the next section, is an amazing character. The story, told from her first-person perspective, masterfully captures the inner-workings of a teenage girls… more on that in a bit. It is through her voice that Green weaves in the much-needed lighthearted elements.

Use of Metaphor

I don’t know John Green. We happen to both live in the same area (Indianapolis, IN), but it’s not exactly a small town. One thing I feel I do know about him now that I have read The Fault in Our Stars is that he is a deep thinker. Because I want potential readers to truly appreciate and experience his writing for the first time, I will not give specifics, but throughout the story he skillfully employs the use of metaphor in ways that enrich the story without distracting from it at the same time. Believe me, I’ve read my share of authors who are overly fond of this literary tool and use it carelessly to the point that I just wish they’d get back to the plot. Though I haven’t had the chance to reread The Fault in Our Stars yet, I fully plan to so that I can dedicate more of my focus on understanding his hidden themes and metaphors.

Writing Style Conclusion

I could write for hours about John Green’s writing style in The Fault in Our Stars. He seems to have found the perfect balance of mixing humor in to lighten the mood while remaining respectful to the material he is writing about. Tackling something as universal and heavy as cancer is no small task. He nails it. The added bonus for the reader is that he did not stop with just writing a good story. Deep within the space between the lines he teaches even deeper truths with his use of metaphor and symbolism.

The Characters – 5/5

What makes a character great? When you really get down to it, what is the difference between a good character and a great character? Obviously, this depends on the character’s role in the story. For example, one shouldn’t expect a supporting character to have the same depth and development arch as a primary one. In my opinion, it often comes down to a gut test. Did I relate to this person? Would I be able reasonably expect to meet someone like this in real life (minus magical abilities in some cases)? I don’t think you have to “like” the character. A well-rounded, intricately developed character can be entirely unlikable, but I want realism without predictability. Real humans contain certain personality traits and quirks that have some commonality with others, yet humans are particularly (and notoriously) random beings. Even the most boring, simple-minded person goes about his/her day making a decent number of decisions that could have gone either way. Great characters from a novel must posses this trait. If you are writing a young adult book about a teenage girl then this is even that much more important.

Now, you might be thinking, “what does this guy know about teenage girls?” A lot, actually, and 100% not in a creepy way. As I stated earlier, I spent eight years of my life working daily with teenagers. Several of those years were also dedicated to the academic study of this demographic. When I chose to read The Fault in Our Stars I was doing so for the purpose of furthering my research. Having spent countless hours studying the developmental processes and stages of adolescence, I can tell you that John Green absolutely hit a home run with his creation of Hazel Grace.

Hazel Grace

This story is primarily about Hazel Grace. It is told through her eyes. The reader experiences her emotional struggles, her joys, the depths of her sadness. She is a flawed character as all humans are. There are times when she reacts poorly to her parents. She is moody, not just because she has cancer. Yes, she is mature beyond her years as one would expect from someone who has been facing down her own death for many years. Still, she is distinctly a teenager. In my humble opinion, she is one of the most complete, well-rounded characters I have ever read in a book.

There is one other incredibly important aspect of Hazel Grace. She is an incredibly positive role model for adolescent girls to aspire to be. Let’s put aside her struggle with cancer for a moment (this book is plenty good enough to stand alone without it). When I conducted the above-mentioned study, my findings all pointed to the incredible positives that adolescent girls are pulling from the character of Hazel Grace. She is strong but weak when she needs to be. She is flawed… too often girls are given an unrealistic picture of what they should be. Throughout her relationship with her love interest, she maintains an equal balance of control in their partnership. He does not dominate. She has a real voice, something that female protagonists often do not have in similar books. She stood apart from her love interest even while standing with him. In a dating environment in America where abuse in teen relationships is all too common, a Hazel Grace is exactly what young girls need to see.

The Rest of the Cast

There is Augustus. There’s her amazingly supportive and equally struggling parents. There’s a recluse author (a guy you love to hate and find yourself loving all the same), a well-meaning counselor, and a number of fascinating side characters.

This isn’t the sort of book that has a standard “antagonist” in character form, but there is still plenty of tension created by the character interactions. The relationships are fantastic. The love story is cute, appropriate for their age, and tears your heart out (in good and bad ways) without completely dominating the narrative. In all honesty, I have a difficult time finding any flaws with this category.

The Characters Conclusion

Not enough good things can be said about Hazel Grace. Even if I hadn’t spent literally hundreds upon hundreds of hours studying the impact of the novel on adolescent readers, I could have guessed that it would be positive. The rest of the cast is distinct, memorable, and well written.

The Plot – 5/5

I will give just one minor spoiler alert for this book. If you plan to pick this up, be prepared to cry. Okay, with that out of the way I can move on. Just a few pages in I knew enough about the plot to be able to expect a gripping story that would leave me both heartbroken and uplifted when I finished it. He did not disappoint. There are multiple branching storylines (something that, if you haven’t picked up already, I am a BIG fan of). As a 33-year-old male, I am not overly drawn to teen romance stories. In fact, they tend to make me want to slam my head repeatedly into a large solid object. There’s no denying it, The Fault in Our Stars is full of this literary theme, but the story is so much bigger than just that. Green courageously asks some of the most difficult questions life can present. He does so in ways that have left me still chewing on some of the nuggets this story possesses.

In closing, I’d like you to take a long look at the rating I gave the plot. This book does not contain epic adventure sequences. There are no weapons wielded in combat. There are no daring rescues, heists, magical powers, or anything else that would be found in a Hollywood action blockbuster. Why is this important? I would say that 99% of the books I read contain at least one of these elements. The Fault in Our Stars is the first dramatic work of fiction that I have loved. It is truly saying something that the overall score that I have given this book is a perfect 5 out of 5. It is that good. It is that perfect.