Shakespeare wrote: "The fault, dear
Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings”
That may be true for life, but for Hazel and Gus- the principal characters of the book,The fault IS in their stars.
It is easy to understand why John Greene changed the quote for his book title.
Two star-crossed lovers, meet in unlikely circumstances, and love blossoms. Can we call it
love? Is it love, if it is felt between two adolescents? Can it be labelled a relationship, if the very foundation of it is rocked by Cancer?
On the face of it, The Fault in our Stars seems
to be a story about Cancer. Yet it is anything but that. Cancer is relegated to
the side-lines like an extra in a movie. It keeps popping up in the most
annoying places, but never steals the show.
To me, it is a love story. A love, that’s so subtle, and shows so much maturity and restraint, that one would hardly imagine it to be between adolescents. And yet it is narrated through Hazel’s eyes. The language echoes the sentiments of their age, but their connection defies the years.
The book is peppered with small moments that make it endearing. Be it the first time Hazel makes eye contact with Gus, or the Night of the Broken Trophies, or the moment when they have their first real date.
You genuinely feel for the characters, be it Isaac, and his girlfriend woes, or the parents putting up a strong front, or the other main character in the book- THE book- An Imperial affliction.
An Imperial Affliction is not just a book in a book! What starts off as Hazel’s seeming obsession, slowly becomes a connection between Gus and Hazel, and finally overtakes it all to become their raison d’etre
As a reader, this book takes you on a rollercoaster. The Ups are filled with witty repartees, and meaningful quotes. The downs are only yours when you realise that the Cancer never goes away.
As a writer, you learn how it’s possible to write moving literature without resorting to melodrama. You learn how a book can be so deep, and yet not take itself so seriously.
I cried when I read this book. Not because of the eventuality, but because Hazel and Gus moved something within me. I felt their pain. Just like Gus says; Pain, It demands to be felt. I felt their happiness. I felt them.
This book has come to mean many things to many people. To some, it serves as an inspiration to never stop living or loving. It helps a mom be honest to their child about cancer. And to some it becomes their own version of “An Imperial Affliction”.
And yet as I write this review, I feel like Hazel. Advertising my affection for the fault in our stars almost seems like a betrayal.
Read The Fault in our Stars at your own risk. It will touch you in places, you can’t imagine, and move you in ways you didn’t know were possible.
But either way, remember that you will be Okay. Okay? Okay………….
