What if your days
are numbered already yet the opportunity of being in love awaits you? Will you
resist it and go on with your life smoothly? Or will you enter love’s
battlefield and take the challenge of making the most out of the days that you
have?
This is the biggest
conundrum of Hazel Grace, a 16-year-old girl diagnosed with stage four thyroid
cancer that has similarly affected her lungs. As the novel’s storyteller, she
seems to be very complacent with the severity of her condition not until the charismatic
Augustus Walters entered the picture. Hazel wants to be a self-sufficient
cancer patient whose death will not affect anyone. She tries to be distant even
from her parents so that her loss will not be mourned for. However, despite the
contradiction of her feelings, she simply cannot resist Augustus’
charm and bravado. The two crossed paths in a cancer support group session.
This meeting immediately sheds light to the fact that Augustus is similarly
battling a terminal illness – ostracoma
in his case.
While The Fault in
Our Stars might seem to be a typical dramatic tale of star-crossed lovers,
Augustus and Hazel’s journey stands out because it doesn't try hard
to be a tearjerker. In a stereotypical world wherein cancer patients are
often viewed as victims, two teenagers show that it’s still possible to have
witty conversations, play video games, go on spontaneous trips, and most
importantly, embrace the unpredictable wonders of an unfolding love. I
love how natural this book is. It's not the type of book that shows people
fighting cancer heroically. It gives you the real deal - the emotional jumble
that comes with the reality of fighting Death.
A lot of readers
have commented that the way Hazel and Augustus speaks opposes their age. For
me, that's the whole point. These teenagers have been through a lot making them
more insightful. I appreciate how most of their lines prove that cancer should
not be deemed as an ending to happiness. They do not deny the existence of
cancer yet the illness not define them.
I'm giving this book
a perfect rating not just for the depth of the characters but more importantly
for the underlying themes that it has. After all, it isn't everyday that you
encounter books that present the harshness of reality without compromising the
value of hope and acceptance.
5/5
"I
think I'll be brave and say how I've wanted you."
