Hazel Grace meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support group. Hazel has thyroid cancer, carries around an oxygen tank, and feels like she is living on borrowed time. Gus has osteosarcoma and has had a portion of a leg removed. As they get to know each other Hazel shares her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction (that I googled because I SO wanted it to be real). They are both witty and perceptive, charming and incredibly likeable, which makes the book all the more heartbreaking.But what could have been a very depressing book isn't at all. It's about two people meeting their match and finding out how precious life is, determined to live undeterred by their diagnoses. As Hazel herself says, "cancer books suck" but although this is a very real picture of how they deal with their illnesses and their friends illnesses, it is also full of hope. The book leads to a trip to Amsterdam, there's lots of humor, and yes, it made me weep. But it is beautiful, touching, and full of empathy. I was deeply affected by this book and find it still lives with me. John Green is a very talented writer and this, for me, is his best work. It deserves every prize I am sure it will win.
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4 comments:
I'm on the fence about this one. All reviews I've seen - including yours - love it and yet I simply don't know. I don't love books that make me cry. Still on the fence.
I loved this book. There were times when I was laughing and then i found myself uncontrollably crying.
I need to read this book again, I think. I can't quite wrap my head around all of it just yet, but I know that it was funny and entertaining, but also sad and hopeful. John Green certainly has a way with words.
I need to read this book again, I think. I can't quite wrap my head around all of it just yet, but I know that it was funny and entertaining, but also sad and hopeful. John Green certainly has a way with words.
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