Website design By BotEap.comSome books aim to make readers laugh; some aim for the heart – make them fall in love with the characters; some target the tear ducts- make them cry; and others intend to make them feel the cocktail of endless emotions. John Green’s “The Fault in our Stars” does it all.

Website design By BotEap.comNarrated by Hazel Grace, the first page of the book grabs you with its witty and philosophical lines. “Depression is a side effect of dying.” As you gasp at the beauty of the framed award, the narrative continues at its own pace. The lines are all realistic and true to their word: neither the pain nor the tragedy is romantic, neither the joy nor the laughter. They do not make you cry from the heart, but rather keep you constantly on the verge of tears. The exact word for it is ‘tragic realism’. And there is something to think about on every page.

Website design By BotEap.comHazel is suffering from stage 4 thyroid cancer and lives her life knowing that she could be dead at any moment. She dropped out of school, lost her friends and her social life to cancer. She thinks about death, lives around her, around people who love her, and wonders about her life after her death. She is depressed, a side effect of cancer, which is a side effect of death, as she chooses to put it. She until she meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor and amputee, who has a tremendous sense of wit, wisdom, joke and metaphor. Both share their likes and dislikes: their immense admiration for ‘An Imperial Affliction’ and Peter van Houten, and their love of video games. The mere presence of this fictional book is seductive.

Website design By BotEap.comHazel gives the book to Augustus, who reads it and is all praise for him. She shares her views; opinions about the book- the fate of the book’s characters; and her agitation that the ‘end’ isn’t really an end. Together they start with a mission to email the author, who is a recluse, and ask him what happens next and if a sequel is expected. Augustus does everything he can to fulfill Hazel’s one wish: to find out what happens to her favorite characters after the book’s narrator dies. This takes them on a trip to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. There is love, unfulfilled expectations and understanding of impending doom and in the midst of all the commotion sweet dying hearts beat for each other. The last part is about fighting against illness, pain, shame and unfulfilled dreams; and live through death, loss, and the emptiness left behind.

Website design By BotEap.comJohn Green keeps it so real throughout the novel without going overboard. I will surely read ‘Paper Towns’ soon, now in my TBR file. And looking forward to the movie, to see Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters on screen and relive their lives.