The Fault in Our Stars evokes a laugh and a cry

John Green, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska, gave life to someone who thought she had none left in his new book, The Fault in Our Stars.

Hazel Lancaster, a 16-year-old girl with cancer, is afraid of getting attached to anyone, since she has tumors in her lungs and has hopes of living only a few more years. But once her mother forces her to attend a cancer support group to help her make friends and live her life, Hazel meets Augustus Waters.

With Augustus, she felt new hope that she hadn’t felt since three years ago after her near death experience from her cancer. All of a sudden she had a new friend, considering her only friends were her parents and her top-choice author.

Standing in front of her favorite author’s front door in a place so far from home was something new for Hazel. Did Augustus really like her enough to give so much up for her? It was strange to Hazel how well she clicked with Augustus instantly and it had already taken her this far.

Augustus, a cancer survivor himself, clicked instantly with Hazel. Although Hazel was hopeless and thinking she shouldn’t try to make friends, Augustus came along and she found herself trying to not fall for him.

Augustus noticed the attraction between them and tried to win Hazel over by slowly getting closer to her and using his one “cancer” wish to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet her favorite author.

Through Hazel’s humor and pain, readers get a feel of what it is like to be her. Green’s writing intrigues readers and easily evokes a laugh as well as a cry. Green’s novel makes it easy for readers to relate to being young and falling for someone. Writing from the perspective of a young person with cancer can be a risky way to get through to readers, but Green does it in a way that leaves readers impressed and moved.