Synopsis: Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.
I'm back, my children! Hehe.
Sorry for the hiatus, but for a while I wasn't reading anything, and I kind of lost my drive for blogging, but I'm starting up again! Oh, happy day!
So I'm reviewing John Green's LOOKING FOR ALASKA today.
This was my first John Green novel, and so I knew I was in for a ride, having heard all of the wonderful praise of fans and critics, etc. It began smoothly, although I didn't actually like the opening scene-I found how Pudge spoke so openly to his parents kind of strange. But I brushed it aside, thinking that he's probably closer to them because he's an only child.
I continued.
He arrives at Culver Creek, and as Mr. Green introduces more characters, and eventually the *swoon* wonderful Alaska, I knew I was in the hands of a writing angel. How did this man, I wondered, who's an adult, write this book about teenagers so well!?
My mind was full of questions like that-ecstatic ones which ended in three interrobangs. I sent all of these questions about how he captured teenage anxiety so well, and the feeling of a crush so well out into the cosmic void without a reply, sadly. GOD. HE'S SO FREAKING GOOD WITH THOSE CHARACTERS AND THEIR EMOTIONS!!! GAHHH!
But not only that, but these characters weren't just stressed out all the time and moping. No, that wouldn't be realistic. These characters were funny.
O. M. G.
I laughed so freaking hard while reading this.
Like seriously.
Then, on top of that, John Green has an amazing plot. The way these characters react, and do things, and the ways in which other characters react to these reactions builds a totally believable plot together of love, loss, and terrible happiness.
I felt as if I were watching Before Sunrise (which if you haven't seen, it is a freaking amazing movie, and you should go buy it and watch it before even finishing this post!), which is about two people falling in love in one day as they walk around and talk, despite knowing that they could maybe let it work out for a few months, but would eventually smother each other. That's how Alaska and Pudge's relationship was: they'd flirt, and you cheered them on, because you wanted her to liberate him from his small spirit, and him to calm down her insanely wild one, but you just knew they wouldn't work out if they got together, and so the story goes on, with all of this emotional conflict.
And, although he grew as he went along, Pudge was so mean to himself, telling himself he could never be worth a great girl like her, that he wasn't hot enough or anything, and I wanted to be like...
*Sigh*. So freaking good.
My favorite part of it all was just how accurately teens were portrayed in this. They were good people, who occasionally did naughty things, and who, when speaking amongst each other, cussed freely. It was filthy, but it was redemptive at the same time, which I really liked, because I hate when people in books do something crazy and ridiculous and reckless, but they're just like, "Whatever. Haha. Lolzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." And I'm all, "No. That's stupid, you stupid person."
It's actually funny, because I read all of the "naughty" scenes while in the worst situations. For instance, they would say the most 'F' words while I sat reading two feet from my mom, or I'd be reading a scene where they drink and smoke, and my brother would be playing Christian music in the other room, or (and this is my favorite one) I read "The Scene"-yes, that one-while sitting in church. It was before church had started, mind you.
But seriously, I had all of these moments where I was like...
And...
MY GOD. IT WAS JUST SO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.
SO GOOD.
To sum it all up, I only have one last thing to say: Mr. John Green...
See ya,
-Aaron
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