Review: The Fault in Our Stars

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

Brave by Tawgs Salter

"I think I'll be brave and say how I've wanted you."