The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

Published by Penguin Group (Australia): Melbourne, Victoria, 2012.

I remember when the movie version of this book came out, and although I never saw it I picked up the basic plot: Teenagers who have cancer fall in love, and one dies.

I don't really think its a spoiler to say that. To know anything about the book is to know that it is about teenagers with cancer. And if a book is about teenagers with cancer it is fairly certain that one of them will die.

Hazel is 16 and has terminal cancer in her lungs, being held at bay by medication and oxygen. Augustus is 17 and has lost a leg to cancer, but is currently cancer-free. They meet at a support group, start talking about their common interests, and eventually fall in love. As the book progresses they are faced with supporting a friend who is losing his eyes to cancer, communicate with Hazel's favourite author, and face their own medical ups and downs. Its a moving story, and I did tear up on occasion, particularly after the death of a main character as the other characters deal with moving on.

My one criticism of the book is an odd one. John Green is quite a well-known figure on YouTube, hosting the Crash Course history series and being one half of vlogbrothers with his brother Hank. I have seen a number of his videos; he has a particular way of speaking and often weaves in allusions to classical or literary works as he goes.

Both Hazel and Augustus do the same. 

The characters themselves suit this way of speaking based on their personalities, but knowing the way John Green communicates I couldn't help but see him in the characters far more than the characters themselves. And at times it distracted me. Especially when they came across more as adult-John-Green than 16-or-17-year-old-teenagers.

That aside, The Fault in Our Stars is a funny and moving look at living with cancer. It is sweet, it is sad, and it opens your eyes to how those with cancer face day to day life.

Completed 6 February 2021.

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