Book Review – The Fault In Our Stars

by John Green (Penguin) ISBN: 9780141345635

Once upon a time there was a boy who loved a girl and he decided to spend the rest of his life finding the ending to her favourite story.

Gorgeous Augustus Waters meets Hazel Grace Lancaster and they fall in love. Gus discovers that Hazel’s favourite book was written with a cliff-hanger ending. He decides to track down the book’s elusive author, Peter Van Houten, to answer Hazel’s questions.

Hazel is 17 and has terminal cancer. Gus is 17 and is a cancer survivor – perfect except for his prosthetic leg. Gus decides to use his ‘cancer wish’ to take Hazel to Holland to find Peter. Hazel’s condition worsens but, with the help of their parents, and the ‘genies’ who grant the wishes, they board the plane.

This beautiful, aching story is full of humour, despair, and joy. The unflinching pain pounces off the page and breaks your heart. John Green is a master storyteller. I read the book in three hours, and it takes a genius who has worked hard to layer a book with so much and still make it so readable.

Reading The Fault In Our Stars is like watching a slow motion car crash. Only, it’s your loved ones in the car, and you can’t and won’t look away.

Definitely my favourite book of 2012.