Having just finished reading The Fault In Our Stars, I had several thoughts. Since I have a blog, I figured this was a great place to really lay out my ideas, but I didn’t really want it to be a “book review”. I don’t really read enough books a year in order for me to feel comfortable really being a literary journalist. I actually read The Fault In Our Stars in two days. I thought it was pretty remarkable, and to be honest, I wanted to know how it ended. I plowed through the book because I was desperate to know who (if anyone) dies at the end. When you’re reading a novel where your two main characters are battling cancer, and everyone who has read the book describes the book as “really sad”, you know the ending has to include a funeral for someone. Even if it’s a minor character, someone has to bite the dust, right?
What I found interesting was that this concept really fueled my desire to reach the end, and I made time to read the book, and reach the promised land. Luckily, the “end” starts about 3/4ths of the way into the book, so your questions are basically answered around the 75% mark. You spend the final 25% really fleshing out that ending.
The characters of Hazel and Augustus are both so uniquely interesting that it really fuels the first 75% of the book. Hazel is a great storyteller, and you really get a solid grasp of her struggle with her disease. It’s not a powerful book in the way that it will change the world we live in, but it’s a powerful book in the way it makes you care about a character that isn’t real. Hazel becomes your best friend, or your daughter/sister/etc., and her pain becomes your pain. You spend the book assuming the worst, and hoping for the best. Some people will feel that this was the right ending, some people will feel like it is the wrong ending.
I think it is a beautiful ending, as it captures a love story that is limited to a short period of time. When two people who have a limited time on this earth meet and fall in love, there’s a sense of urgency in their relationship. There’s also strong caution, as they know they will hurt the one they leave behind. Is it worth it? You be the judge.
I’m interested to see what the film adaptation of The Fault In Our Stars brings. For now, I miss Hazel. I wish I could continue reading books about her character, but I understand that it simply cannot be. At least I’ll see her again this summer on the big screen.