Is it the Stars?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” (Julius Caesar, Act I, Scene III, L. 140-141).

How utterly wrong and right that statement is. Many people say this book is about love. And it is. Many say it’s about cancer. And it is. Many say it’s about tragedy. And by God, it is!

People talk about how 𝘴𝘢𝘥 this book is, and entering it, I think everyone knows what will happen. I had been “spoiled” on how it ends, but it wasn’t a spoiler, exactly. The truth is, I was terrified to read this book. I knew it was about death. I knew it was about cancer. It, like its characters, is terminal. But there is another truth about it.

It is totally and utterly 𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.

Protagonist Hazel Grace and her fateful companion Augustus (Gus) Waters charm and excite. They are full of life, despite their respective illnesses. Their story is so unique, yet full of beauty and yet again, life. Life is what makes this book so special to read. Be grateful for the life you have, dear reader.

But while the book is all this and more, here’s what it really is-- genius. There is no other way to say this: John Green is a genius writer. Many will not agree with this statement. But you are very much mistaken.

See, this book takes another (fictional) book, 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, (which exists only in the world of the books) and makes it the center of this novel. Usually, it annoys me when an author drops content from something else into their own writing (I call it drop content). John Green does it flawlessly. In more ways than one, this book is a fictitious essay, rather than a novel, about 𝘈𝘯 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. I have never read a book quite like that before. It shocked me a little. Wowed me a little more.

Additional to this, Green uses every word to his advantage. As the plot thickens, the chapters shorten. The last sentence of each chapter is no more than four or five words, usually suspenseful or heart-wrenching, simple facts that are awful and wonderful at the same time. Strokes of genius.

I believe I laughed more than I cried. I didn’t quite relate to the characters, but in the best way possible. But no matter these things, I will not forget, ever, the fact that when I picked up a random bookmark to use for this book, that it had the serenity prayer on it, and on page 9 of the novel, there it was...

This book literally evoked angels.