The Fault in Our Stars

-

When I started reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green a few weeks ago, I immediately regretted the decision for two reasons. The first reason being that it is a book about teen cancer patients falling in love. I should know better. Why read something so assuredly sad? And the second reason being that I knew after a couple chapters that I was going to lose sleep over this book. I wouldn't be able to put it down. 

Throughout most of the book, I waited defensively for the sadness to kick in. But to my surprise, this book about two teens who meet at a cancer support group is not a classic sob story. The book is more teen angst and young love than courageous cancer battle.  The main characters are sarcastic and real, their moods up and down with the highs and lows of teenage strife. There are sad moments to be sure, but they didn't make me regret reading the story. 

"You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice."

The book has a cult teen following and it is easy to see why. The main characters are smart and funny without being mean, and they don't feel a need to fit in and be cool. It reminds me of the movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which I also loved. The teens in Stars and Wallflower are not scary and horrifying to this future parent of teens. These are nice kids that navigate a difficult time in their lives with grace, humor and a sense of self that is rare even in adults. It gives me hope that my kids will somehow, someday, get through their teenage years intact.

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once."

I wonder how Gus and Hazel would have fared if not for the cancer, if they'd met in another place and time, under different circumstances. Haven't we all wondered that at one time or another? You meet someone special when you are too young, while going through a life crisis, while still figuring out who you are and what you want out of life. I think relationships happen in our lives for a reason and at just the right time. But it takes years and perspective to see the impact, feel the lasting significance.    

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you." 

I've always been a sucker for a good romance. First loves may end, but they stay with us forever. 



The movie version of the book comes out today. Will you see it?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Children know best

-
Image
I’m with my Mom, sitting next to her in a crowded restaurant, and yet I feel alone. I should be warmed by her proximity, by my ability to put my arm around her shoulder and squeeze her towards me. I can swing my leg three inches to the left and our knees will bump together. But she is light years away. She is the earth and I am the moon. She is a falling star glimpsed out of the corner of my eye; I’m fervently making a wish upon that star, my mother the star. I'm in the middle of my life with an established career, strong marriage, and healthy and active children of my own. But my Mom's dementia has only made me realize how much I still need her. There are so many things I want to tell her, so many lessons she has yet to teach me. I think about my Mom's life and my own, the similarities and differences, the choices we both made. We've always been close, I thought I knew her well. But there are so many things I've never asked her, so much about her I don't k
Click here to see more...

Just say Yes!

-
Image
I had the best, unexpected and unplanned Sunday with Charlie. Izzy had a busy social calendar (first grade girls do not mess around), Ryan was busy and Charlie and I found ourselves alone. What to do? Sundays are our catch-up days at home and our parental to-do list is usually long. I don't enjoy it, but it is the one day we go to the grocery store, do laundry, vacuum, run errands - all the stuff that has to get done around the house when both parents work all week. Most Sundays we encourage the kids to play outside, have a neighbor friend come over and basically entertain themselves. On Sundays, I say 'No' a lot. No, I don't have time to play. No, I can't throw the football. No, I can't play dolls or dress up. No, no, no. There just isn't enough time in the day, in the week, to get it all done. This Sunday I asked Charlie what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to make a saxophone! To back up a bit, Charlie's third grade class went on a field tri
Click here to see more...

Izzy's rainbow party - behind the scenes

-
Image
It's hard to focus on much besides Izzy's beautiful rainbow birthday cake...     But there were other aspects of the party that I really enjoyed as well.   I loved the idea of using baby food jars to decorate for Izzy's first birthday when I saw this post . In the interest of time and my waning energy, I decided to simplify this idea.
Click here to see more...