Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I chose to read this book because of its consistently stellar reviews, but the timing was tricky on two fronts.  One, I knew it was about terminal cancer patients, which my dad has recently become.  Two, I was on a short vacation sans kids.  Did I really want to subject myself to such subject matter while trying to unwind and (momentarily) forget?

Crazily, I decided to read it -- mostly while lounging pool-side.  Meaning I was free to immerse myself in the story, laughing and bawling (I really needed to do a lot of both of these), without the usual distractions of homework, dinner-making, carpooling, kid one, kid two, kid three, kid four or kid five.

I’m immensely glad I did.  Maybe because:

• My dad is currently dying of cancer, and this book’s main characters (albeit teenagers) are also dying of cancer, and

• I currently have a 16-year-old daughter, and this book’s main character is a 16-year-old girl.  Although she doesn’t have cancer, my daughter is definitely afflicted with being a teenager (as is the main character), and

• I have experienced falling and being in love, as do the main characters in this book, and

• I have lived through – and will again soon – the loss of someone I love, as do the main characters of this book, and

• I thoroughly appreciate (and would sincerely like to one day become) a writer who can use words to clearly and brilliantly articulate thoughts and feelings and ideas and circumstances, a writer who can elicit laughter and tears and other powerful emotions from the reader, and

• several more reasons I am unable to convey because I’m not as accomplished a writer as John Green is . . .

. . . I loved this book and am somewhat in awe of it.

I almost gave it 5 stars, but honestly believe that most parents -- when faced with the awful circumstance of having a child with terminal cancer -- would give more thought and effort to discussing things of a spiritual, eternal nature with that child (which I found somewhat lacking in this book).

But nonetheless – I highly, highly, highly recommend it.

Even if you don’t have a teenage daughter and even if your dad doesn’t have cancer.

Content note:  a bit of foul language and sex talk (teenage stuff)


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