Review Detail

This is the most brilliant and heart wrenching story I have ever read! I cannot tell you how embarrassing it is to be sitting on my couch bawling and unable to explain to my husband what exactly is wrong. I have heard so much about John Green and his writing. I can tell you that after reading this book, I am definitely hooked. I just could not put this book down! The humor in this book only added to the story. I mean, when staring death in the face one can only find humor. Which brings me to the Kubler-Ross model on the five stages of grief. As I read along in this book, I found that most of the characters had already reached number five at such a young age. I found immense respect and admiration for the characters in this book. They each had something trivial they had to face, and to my knowledge, did it to the best of their ability.

I have only had cancer touch my family once. It was an extremely difficult time in my families lives. We were all unsure if today would be the last day. Thankfully everything turned out fine and they are healthy and cancer free now. As I was reading this story I came across a quote that really resonated with me.

‘”What a slut time is. She screws everybody.”‘

This could not be farther from the truth. Time is fickle. You never know when you will have your “last day”. It was extremely difficult to read how true this was in this book. I have personally worked with terminally ill patients. A lot of people seem to think they want sympathy and pity when all they really want is to be treated equal and normal. We allow our emotions to rule the way we react to those suffering from travesties, and ultimately push them away.

Hazel was ultimately pushing people away from herself. She did not want to be the pain suffered by others. I found a lot to respect in her character. She was reality in a delusional world. Hazel knew that in time she would also suffer from her fatal illness like many before her. She did not focus on denial or delusion. She was a real person who suffered real pain. Hazel did not see herself as a hero or some sort of heroic figure. Her humor was extremely welcome in this devastating story. She made this book just a little brighter. The other brightness in this story was the love she found with Augustus.

Augustus was the type of character you would want to meet in real life. He was such an optimist! It was his humor and intellect that caught my attention the most, though. Another thing that I found attractive about his character was the fact that he was so straightforward. His romanticism was something that I will linger with me when I think of this book. His is a friendship worth cherishing. I could definitely picture him saving the world! It was extremely difficult to read his last couple of chapters. I had to compose myself numerous times. I had fallen head first for him.

The humor in this book only made it even more amazing! I could not help but to laugh out on a couple of occasions. One of my favorite quotes in the book is when Augustus and Hazel first meet:

‘” Someone should tell Jesus,” I said. “I mean, it’s gotta be dangerous, storing children with cancer in your heart.”
“I would tell Him myself,” Augustus said, “but unfortunately I am literally stuck inside of His heart so He won’t be able to hear me.”‘

Their support group met in the center of a cross shaped church that the members called the Literal Heart of Jesus. The fact that their use of humor draws them together was quite adorable to me. I was so happy that even faced with their unfortunate situations they could still find love.

I would definitely recommend this book to all readers. It was a really great read. I could not put this book down and I could not stop laughing/crying. I feel like I just unraveled one of the secrets of the Universe with this tragically humorous book. It took me a while to compose myself and my thoughts and write a review. I still feel that I have not done the book justice. I do not think I would be able to find the words to tell you how touching this story is. Thank you for reading my review. Please fill me in on your thoughts if you have ever had the pleasure to read this story.