Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars - John Green

(Side note: When I started writing this review, I tried to write in Bahasa instead. But somehow, I just couldn't find the flow. So despite the fact that my English is far less than perfect, I kinda feel much more at ease writing it in English. So..) 

I bought my first John Green book around one month ago while taking a stroll at the mall. I don't know what exactly attracted me to this not-so-thick book titled 'The Fault In Our Stars' (well, beside the fact that it's listed as New York Times Bestseller. I have a thing for those bestseller sticker. I'm shallow that way) but since I was looking for a light and fun reading that I could use while waiting for the bus that usually takes forever to show up, I decided to buy this one. I fully expected this book to be a cute love story that is interesting enough to make my waiting hours bearable. 

I was wrong.


 

Because this novel is more than just a cute, little love story. It's one of the most beautiful love story I have ever read. I finished reading this book in a span of one day (which means I have to shop for another book to be my bus-waiting companion. Tsk) and by the end of the book, surprisingly, it made me cry. Mind you, I'm not a cry-baby when it comes to reading books. So, it's kind of big deal when one book manage to make me that overwhelmed with emotion. 

The premise of 'The Fault In Our Stars' is actually pretty simple. It tells a story of Hazel Grace, a young cancer patient, who decides to join a Cancer Kid Support Group because her parents expected her to have a normal social life just like any other teenagers. Despite her constant reluctance (she prefers to watch television all day than spending time hanging out with other cancer patients, sharing their sad story about cancer and whatnot - something that I totally relate to. Not the cancer part, of course. The television over social life part), her time at the Support Group takes an interesting turn when she met Augustus Waters, the sexy and gorgeous cancer survivor who kinda have a crush at the first sight on her. With a new love interest on the horizon, her life becomes way more interesting and Hazel starts feeling normal for the first time. The thing is, she has never been normal. More than being a teenager, both her and Augustus are two people who lives really close to death so their perspective on life and love is pretty much different than other people. Which brings us to the main question that haunts Hazel for the rest of book: Is it selfish for her to love Augustus while knowing that her life is numbered? In her own words, she is a grenade waiting to explode. Knowing this, should she stay away to avoid hurting people she loves or should she just stay?        

What makes this book work for me is the fact that despite its young characters (which I should add, are all quirky), the book talks about life and death in a very mature tone without being too serious. It's sarcastic without being condescending and it's poignant without being cheesy. It doesn't fall into the sob-fest trap that usually found in this kind of cancer-related story, but instead it discusses the inevitability of death in the witty and refreshing take that I love so much. The book feels sincere and I found myself relating to each characters conversation at so many level. By the end of the story, I found myself crying over and over again because of the  palpable love I feel from all the characters in this story. In the end, it's more than just a love story between Hazel and Augustus - it's also love story between parents and their children and a love story among best friends. It's a love story where we learns to say goodbye and be grateful for all eternity. The best kind of love story, in my very humble opinion.

I cried at so many parts in this book, but this might be my most favorite part. I read it again before I quoted it here and unsurprisingly, I still cry a little.

(Spoiler alert!) 

This is the part where Isaac (a mutual friend of Hazel and Augustus. Isaac is blind, since he suffers from a rare eye cancer) reads his eulogy for Augustus during Augustus' pre-funeral (because being the confident smartass as he always is, Augustus doesn't want to miss his own funeral and wants to make sure he likes the eulogy that is going to be read in his own funeral. He's doing an eulogy-proofing). Isaac's eulogy goes like this: 

"Augustus Waters talked so much that he'd interrupt you at his own funeral. And he was pretentious: Sweet Jesus Christ, that kid never took a piss without pondering the abundant metaphorical resonances of human waste production. And he was vain: I do not believe I have ever met a more physically attractive person who was more accurately aware of his own physical attractiveness.

But I will say this: when the scientists of the future show up at my house with robot eyes and they tell me to try them on, I will tell the scientists to screw off, because I do not want to see a world without him"

And that's what I called love.