Thu, 28 Mar, 2024

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

By Nikita Gautam

What would you do if you were diagnosed with incurable cancer? How would you feel when you know the bitter truth of your life that you’re going to die soon? How would you feel when you love someone from the heart and you know that you cannot last forever? We always hope for miracles in our lives, but they don’t always happen. We are bound to face the truth of our lives. Our heart breaks a little when we think about such things. "The Fault in Our Stars", is a well-written novel by John Green. It is a story of a 16-year old teenage girl fighting with lung cancer named, Hazel Grace Lancaster.  Going briefly through the story line of the novel, it is based on true love that is pure and immortal, which exists between two cancer-carrying patients. How they love each other, their emotions and their struggle. Two people struggling to survive get into a relationship with no future. It seems to give its reader a message that love is inevitable and if you love someone then love him/her through all your heart. She being a cancer patient is always pushed by her mother to visit the support group where they share their views, remember the ones who have gone far away from them, and share recovery stories and so on. Hazel's mother insists so that she can learn to live her life, make friends and enjoy every bit of her life. But instead of socializing with people she loves being alone. While attending the support group, Hazel meets a young, charming and witty boy named, Augustus Waters. He has suffered a rare form of cancer, osteosarcoma, and loses one of his legs in the recovery process. This boy continuously keeps staring at her throughout the session and at the end finally talks to her. Their beautiful journey starts from this point. They become closest friends and furthermore connect to each other via a book called "An Imperial Affliction" by Peter Van Houten, whom she considers to be her inspiration. She reads the book over and over again with increasing anxiousness of what had really happened next to the characters inside the story. These characters become inseparable in a short period of time. While moving through the story there are ups and downs, romance, love, happiness and sadness. Every little detail will increase your eagerness about the story. Hazel and Augustus end up nourishing, loving and caring each other till the last moments of their lives. This novel gives the readers some humor followed by heartbreaking events. This is a great young adult novel hence the popularity. This novel is also a reflection of what a true love should be with no expectations, no regrets but only love.