Saturday 9 March 2013

"pain demands to be felt."


You haven't experienced phenomenal literature that gives you apocalyptic bursts of emotion unless you have read "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green. This post somewhat resembles a book review, but I feel like an unexperienced kid (which is what I am) writing it. 

I started the book with the one thought in my mind: "When is the tear bomb going to drop" All my friends basically represented the book as a collection of veritably unfortunate events that happen to a pair of cancer ridden teenage lovers. Personally, I enjoy feeling a great deal of emotion. I  am most inspired to write poetry, pieces of texts, or blog posts as this one when I am feeling one of the extremes. Either happy, or sad. Right now, I am to a great extent, sad. 

There is actually no way to explain the book unless you yourself read it. I will attempt to give you an insight as to how exactly Green plans and executes his chapters. There is always a life lesson. I have, at least thirty times in the book, put it down and deeply thought about the message he so eagerly tries to convey to the reader. Messages such as how: everybody gets tired of the beauty they originally found so fascinating at some point, how there are smaller, and larger infinites, and how there nothing great truly lasts forever. Some of these life lessons have been revisited in the book, yes, but the way Green recites it is like nothing I have ever read before.

The best part, there is no happy ending. Sorry if this is a spoiler, but everyone is dead. Which at the end of the day, is usually the case in the world. There are rare cases where people with a cancer recurrence or a terminal tumor end their life festooned with positivity and happiness. There is hardship and struggle, and John Green represents that brilliantly. He writes a real story. A story of a girl and a boy who are both dying. They are dying, and they die. There is no sugarcoating, they die. 

At the end of the day, a book is just a collection of blank pages filled in with printed text. Everything is just as basic when an individual thinks about a certain concept in its simplest form. Its the content that brings something alive. John Green, it is inexplainable how a 35 year old author who has no personal connection to the death of a lover, can create such a heart wrenching piece of literature where for even the strongest of people, tearing up or sobbing is inevitable. In my opinion, Green is by far one of the most skilled authors of our time. He writes with such clarity and grace, that he can turn flipping pancakes into either a crying fest, or an event that deserves manic laughter. The reader cannot help but ponder over every beautiful word. 

Personally, I am still grieving. The book is emotionally sabotaging, and I am practically drowning in my own tears. It is a brilliant read and I highly recommend it to everyone.