The Fault In Our Stars.........(PS . A stack of tissues highly recommended............:) )

This time its a book review , dear folks!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that too , one of my favorite book , John Greene's "The Fault In Our Stars" and many told me that it was worth posting here. And so here it goes..........:)

A BOOK THAT I ENJOYED READING

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. But pity, a man who never reads lives only once.”

Some books you read. Some books you enjoy. But some books just swallow you up , your heart , your mind and your soul. And as Neil Gaiman said , “Picking up  my five favorite books is like picking the five body parts I’d most like not to lose”. So talking about a single book that I enjoyed reading would be indeed a very difficult one. In other words, books are my escape portal. I love that moment when you open a book and sink into it, and can escape from this world, that too into a story which is way more interesting than yours or mine ever will be.

You know you have enjoyed the book immensely and a certain kind of bond is formed when you can connect with the theme mentally as well as emotionally. And I believe that the theory which applies to your friends goes for books too , “Many may come and go from your life , but a few leave the foot prints”. In fact , among the zillion books , only a handful can leave its foot prints and make a great impact. A very recent book , which had the same effect on me was John Greene’s “The Fault In Our Stars.”

We open up the story with Hazel Grace Lancaster, an average teenager of 16, except for the fact that she was diagnosed for the thyroid cancer that has spread into her lungs. Upon her mother’s behest, Hazel joins a Cancer Support Group where she meets the most charming Augustus Waters whose Osteosarcoma had compelled him to lose his leg. Very soon , both of them develop a very strong bond of friendship and they talk about everything under the sun. Literally. That’s when Hazel shares about her favorite book “An Imperial infliction”, written by Peter Van Houten with Augustus. She is very much attached to An Imperial Infliction because she thinks that it holds answers for all her unanswered questions. She can relate herself much to the main protagonist of the book, Anna, because she is also diagnosed with a rare blood cancer. Hazel is very much confused over how her parents are going to cope with her loss after her death. When she thinks the book holds the answers for her questions, the author, Peter drops out from the middle of the story and doesn’t reveal the ending of the book. Neither does he say what happens to the characters of the book, whether Anna dies or lives or how does her parents cope with her loss if she dies. Hazel is very much disappointed over the unfinished ending and when she shares with the same with Augustus, they both obsess over the ending.

But Augustus somehow manages to track down the email of Peter’s assistant and when Hazel contacts her, she invites them both to Amsterdam to discuss the ending of the book with Peter. But both of them are again terribly disappointed when they reach Amsterdam and get to know that Peter is nothing but a drunk lunatic. All he talks is nonsense with both of them and shouts at them and they angrily storms off from there. On coming back to Indiana, Augustus shockingly reveal to Hazel that the cancer he thought which was diagnosed has returned back in its full form and his days were numbered. He says “I lit up like a Christmas Tree, Hazel. The lining of my chest, my left hip, my liver, EVERYWHERE.” Initially Hazel is distraught and heartbroken, but she soon snaps out of it knowing that she has to be strong in this phase. The rest of the story follows on how Hazel helps him to face the hardships courageously rather than run away from it and supports him all along.

There are many reasons why “The Fault In Our Stars” is special for me. One is the way of the narration of the story. For a while, I enjoyed being realistic and the way the author uses his witful remarks in the right places , he totally nails it. Besides I never thought literature and medical sciences could go hand in hand, as they are miles and miles apart from each other. But the way in which John Greene blends both of them into the frame makes Augustus and Hazel memorable characters. The other reason is that , even though this can be included in the genre of fiction , its not sickly sweet. And this one came to me as huge relief after Ravinder Singh’s “I Too Had A Love Story” and Durjoy Dutta’s “Someone Like You” and “Till the Last Breath” which was just overloaded with over sweetness. And the saddest part was that all these books had the same old story. But I couldn’t resist falling in love with the theme of “The Fault In Our Stars” which have been captured perfectly and rendered beautifully. The best part was it had every shades- you had hope , love , sorrow , anger , jealousy, friendship , anguish –everything in balanced proportions. 

It was the most imperfect book in a perfect way. And some of the quotes from the book , just strike the chords perfectly , like , “the world is not a wish granting factory” and “that’s the thing about the pain – it demands to be felt” and the very famous metaphor of Augustus Waters when Hazels asks him why does he keep a unlit cigarette in his mouth “A cigarette don’t kill you unless you light one and I have never lit one in my life. Hazel Grace; It’s a metaphor, you see . You put the killing thing right between your teeth , but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.”

I would like to conclude with the parting words of Augustus Waters in his letter to Peter Van Houten – “Dear Peter,

I’m a good person but a shitty writer. You’re a shitty person but a good writer. We would make a good team , you know. My thoughts are stars which cannot be fathomed into constellations. You don’t get to choose to get hurt in this world , old man , but you do have some say in who hurts you. And I like my choices.”