The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars is a heart wrenching tale of two seemingly star crossed lovers. It is an intriguing tale of two teenagers, Augustus Waters and Hazel Grace fighting a long battle against cancer. They first cross paths at a support group session and soon enough, Hazel finds her inner walls being broken down by Augustus’ warm and friendly exterior. Augustus helps bring colour to Hazel’s once dull life, breaking boundaries and introducing new emotions and experiences for the both of them. One highlight of the book is a trip to Amsterdam to meet Hazel’s all-time favourite author- except things take a saddening turn when things do not turn out the way everyone would have liked. Hazel and Augustus’ story spirals downhill when Augustus reveals that his cancer had returned. To quote Hazel, “The world is not a wish-granting factory.” 

Amongst other things, this book deeply reinforces how there always is light in the darkness. Augustus brought light to Hazel’s life. She had once been a reserved person who seemingly had given up on life. However, she regained a positive outlook on life after Augustus repeatedly showed her that cancer patients could be happy too.

I particularly enjoyed this book as the author, John Green expertly used humour to tell this story, such that there were moments where one would be torn between laughing and crying. I personally found Hazel’s transformation from a sad teenager who had lost most of her life into a bubbly one, full of love and wisdom and a new perspective towards life very heartwarming. The story was told from the perspective of Hazel, a teenager which allowed me to relate to the characters more. From tensions with her family to mulling over posts on social media, Hazel faced problems that many teenagers would encounter, allowing us to better appreciate the book and connect to the characters on an emotional level. I also enjoyed how the author grasped our attention by telling a story using simple language yet being able to convey such powerful emotions. I find The Fault In Our Stars unique as it does not seem to have a specific meaning to it, rather, it serves mainly to tell a story and leave the readers to think about the meaning and purpose of the story.

The Fault in Our Stars is definitely a good read and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an engaging book which would tug at their heartstrings.

Lok Qi Ern

2 Loyalty