The Fault in our Stars is fantastic! Hazel Lancaster is a terminal cancer patient, and although her condition is stable her fate has already been determined. However, when she meets Augustus Waters at the Cancer Kids Support Group her life takes a surprising and interesting turn. Despite the cancer’s ever-looming shadow, Hazel and Augustus fall deeply in love and try to make the most of the time that they have together.
I loved this novel. On the face of it, a story about two teenagers with cancer should be quite a depressing read. And yes, I cried. A lot! But I also laughed a lot too. The book gets the tone between the seriousness of the character’s situation and their position as two teenagers falling in love just right, and I never felt manipulated into emotion. Indeed, this book left me with an overwhelming sense of positivity. Hazel, Augustus, Issac and their parents are all touched by cancer and all have to find ways to cope, and I felt that their reactions were believable, their characters well-drawn.
I think that the book effectively shows the different ways in which people deal with death. Peter Van Houten is devastated by loss and his descent into alcoholism shows the impact that death can have upon the living. Hazel actively encourages her parents to develop a life outside of her illness to prepare for the inevitable, and feels the burden of their suffering lifting off her shoulders as they begin to do so. The honesty of friends is juxtaposed nicely with the awkward, false platitudes of strangers, and this highlights how often people distance themselves from the sick and dying because of their inability to cope.
Beyond the looming spectre of cancer, The Fault in our Stars is a love story. Both characters are consumed by an obsession, and together they find the strength to overcome them. For Hazel, this obsession is the fear of what will happen to those that she will leave behind when she dies, and Augustus worries that he won’t have left his mark on the world, that he will not be remembered. Through their relationship they learn to live their lives to the full, and Hazel is able to love despite fearing the grenade-like impact of her impending death. The impact that they make upon each other is far greater in worth than leaving a superficial mark on the world. An emotional but hugely uplifting read.
The Fault in our Stars Penguin Books 2013
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