The Fault In Our Stars / A Book Review

"Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.

                                     …which you can’t tell people about, books so special and rare and yours that advertising your affection feels like a betrayal."

                                                    -Hazel Grace

It was as if Hazel spoke my mind in the book. And for the umpteenth time I reread these lines over and over again, underlined it and marked the page (Page 33). Have you ever felt that way about a book? I felt like this for The Fault In Our Stars (TFIOS).

TFIOS is a devastating and powerful book by John Green. It cuts you deep down, opens the chambers of your heart into halves, sprinkles salt to the wounded heart and nurse and stores you back to a healthy person. It’s a book so special and rare that I feel a sense of betrayal when I write this post here.

It’s the story of Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters, their battle against the terminal disease cancer and how Hazel’s story is rewritten when the gorgeous Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group.

Fearing that Hazel is suffering from depression, she is forced to attend a weekly Support Group by her mother. At the Support Group, Augustus turns up and twists the plot of the story, likely to be completely retold again.

Having read over and over the book An Imperial Affliction (AIA) by Peter Van Houten, Hazel and Augustus decides to visit Peter at Amsterdam only to be disappointed by the latter.

What happens to Anna, her mother and the Dutch Tulip Man in AIA? These are questions that haunt Hazel, and she wants to know the answers. In her quest to the endings of the book, Hazel plunges further into love with the beautiful Augustus, is beautiful a term inappropriate for Augustus? Well, he has been portrayed that way and I don’t mind calling a guy beautiful as long as he deserves it.

Just like Hazel keeps thinking and wondering about the after-life of the characters in AIA, I’ve been thinking about Hazel ever since I finished reading the book. It has literally made me ponder, what happens to Hazel after she receives the four attachments in her mail and reads it. Hazel has her days numbered unfortunately.:(

I swooned on nearly every page. It made me reread some lines and pained me most and tears were all I could shed in the form of applause for this beautifully crafted masterpiece.

The dialogues in the book are carefully structured and it simply brings joys to read it. 

There are days when I don’t want to step out of the house, stay in bed all day long and read and cry, days I’m thankful that I’m alive and I get to read this utterly joyous and sad book. 

These are the days I wear my pink PJs with little hearts all over and mourn the finishing of a good book like this one. This weekend has definitely been that one. And I’m yet to recover from the book hangover. Of course a good one though. :).