"The Fault in Our Stars" / John Green / Dutton Juvenile, a division of Penguin Publishers / January 10, 2012 / $17.99 retail
"Cancer books suck," states the protagonist of the story, Hazel Lancaster, when she is asked about her favorite book. Cancer is an ever present topic in society, but people don't want to think about or talk about cancer when there are so many more pleasant topics to discuss, such as the cuteness of puppies or the weather or some nonsense. But cancer is not something that will disappear simply because people do not want to talk about it. Cancer is a large topic which is tackled in this book — the two main characters, Hazel Lancaster and Augustus Waters, both have terminal forms of cancer — and John Green is just the writer to tackle this topic.
It is important to know that this is not a cancer book and it does not gloss over terminal illness. People die due to illnesses such as cancer in real life, and John Green does not see the point in making people seem like illness will not affect them, so someone dies as a result of cancer in this book. It is a book which examines how illness affects the lives of teenagers and those around them and how those who are terminally ill find love.
"The Fault in Our Stars" is the story of two 16-year-olds who meet at a cancer support group. Hazel, the narrator, is afflicted with terminal thyroid cancer which has ravaged her lungs enough to necessitate the use of an oxygen tank wherever she goes. It is during a support meeting that she is introduced to Augustus, whose leg was claimed by a malignant bone tumor and who soon becomes the object of her affection.
As "cancer kids," as Hazel so affectionately calls Augustus and herself, they both know that life is very short and precious. They do not know how much longer the other has to live, so they become fast friends after Augustus equates Hazel to a "V for Vendetta" era Natalie Portman and shows her the movie.
Hazel and Augustus begin to set the groundwork for a relationship and Hazel tell Augustus about her favorite book, "An Imperial Affliction," by fictional author Peter Van Houten, and her frustration that the book ended in the middle of a sentence. Augustus tracked down the reclusive author and arranged for Hazel and himself to pay him a visit in Amsterdam.
This book is eloquently written and Green avoids the typical will-they-survive of young adult books which deal with topics such as illness. Green has written a book with a plot that unfolds elegantly before the eyes of the readers, and as sad as it is in places (it's a book about cancer, of course it's going to have sad moments), there is also an amount of zeal and joy for living that is rare for even those who are free of cancer.
On the Aug. 25, 2010, Esther Earl, to whom the book is dedicated, passed away after a four-year battle with thyroid cancer at the age of sixteen and provided a great deal of inspiration for Hazel. However, John Green stated in a video on the Vlogbrother's YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers) that "it is important to know that Hazel is not Esther."
Green's other novels are critically acclaimed, with one, "Looking for Alaska," even bearing the Printz award. His other novels include "Paper Towns," "An Abundance of Katherines" and "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" (which Green co-authored with David Levithan). John Green also maintains a YouTube channel called Vlogbrothers with his brother Hank and is currently travelling with his brother around the east coast (mostly) signing books and meeting fans.
As Hazel says to Augustus, "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities ... There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbound set. But Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity."
If you choose to read this book, you will be grateful for the little eternity you get to spend with Hazel and Augustus.
