3 Reasons to Read The Fault in Our Stars

By Florence Lin

Time Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of the year, #1 International Bestseller, #1 Indie Bestseller, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller, #1 USA Today Bestseller. Written by John Green and published in 2012, I believe that The Fault in Our Stars deserves its awards and praise. A beautifully written story about love and life, I would recommend this novel to anyone, especially young adults. Here are 3 reasons why:

1. The narrative is raw and unfiltered.

This story is told from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, who has thyroid cancer. Having known she would inevitably die young since she was diagnosed at the age of 13, Hazel has a very different thought process and outlook on life. She loves the ones close to her, yet she also tries to distance herself from others in order to prevent her death from hurting them. To someone in Hazel’s life who does not know what she is thinking, her actions and remarks may be confusing, but as readers, we are able to see the world through Hazel’s eyes and gain a unique perspective. An example of this is when Hazel agrees to go to her support group after trying to get out of it. Hazel tells the readers, “I went to Support Group for the same reason that I’d once allowed nurses with a mere eighteen months of graduate education to poison me with exotically named chemicals: I wanted to make my parents happy. There is only one thing in this world sh[*]ttier than biting it from cancer when you’re sixteen, and that’s having a kid who bites it from cancer” (Green 7-8). Because the story is told from Hazel’s honest and bare voice, readers are able to see exactly what runs through Hazel’s mind and empathize with her. We see that she understands the difficulties her parents are going through and cares about them and their happiness. We also see how she has a sort of dark humor, making comments about her situation by calling medication “poison” and by calling her dying “biting it.” Being able to be a part of her life makes it so that readers feel for Hazel throughout the novel and get lost in her story.

2. The characters are very human.

Each character in The Fault in Our Stars is portrayed like a real person. Hazel’s parents are loving, her friend Isaac is humorous and caring, and her boyfriend Augustus is charming and kind. The book does a great job of showing the positive aspects of their personalities, but also their flaws and low points: something that every human has. Although Green shows a story of Hazel and Augustus as they fall in love with each other while painting a beautiful picture of their connection, he also does not hesitate to show when the characters are in distress and are going through some of the most terrible parts of life. Augustus is shown to be a confident, joking person for a lot of the novel, but he is also shown at his most vulnerable, such as when he calls Hazel late at night because his G-tube is not working right. Hazel immediately says she will call nine-one-one, but desperate and upset, Augustus tells her, “‘No no no no no, they’ll take me to a hospital. Hazel, listen to me. Do not call nine-one-one or my parents I will never forgive you don’t please just come please just come and fix my goddamned G-tube. I’m just, God, this is the stupidest thing. I don’t want my parents to know I’m gone. Please. I have the medicine with me; I just can’t get it in. Please.’” Hazel then notes that “He was crying. I’d never heard him sob like this” (243). Augustus is shown in a state of panic and distress, begging Hazel and in a frenzy. Characters like Augustus are shown going through struggles and reacting to them like a real person would, making parts of the story all the more tragic and engaging.

3. It teaches readers to treasure their lives.

In this book, many of the characters lack time. With a terminal illness, Hazel knows that her time on earth will end soon and that those who love her know that their time together is limited too. Her friends and parents understand that they will lose her, and Augustus will have his time with her cut short as well. Reading about Hazel who has so many people to love and so much to live for, yet so little time can be very eye-opening. This story can provoke readers to think about how valuable time is, and what a gift life is. Near the end of the story, Hazel says to Augustus, “‘You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful’” (260). Even though she does not have much time with the boy she loves so much, Hazel is thankful for the time she has. This novel is beautiful yet heartbreaking and has the power to teach an important lesson. Reading this book reminded me to treasure the time that I have with those I love and care about, and I hope that if you decide to read it you are reminded of how valuable time is as well.