After reading John Green’s two famous novels; ‘Looking for Alaska’ and ‘The Fault in our Stars’, there isn’t a smallest bit of doubt that I have become his fan i.e. a Nerdfighter. John Green is rich in literature and the way he portrays every tiny detail is simply genius. He is a man of intellect. His writing is such that lives with you forever.
To start with, John Green’s characters in ‘Looking for Alaska’ are well-defined. The narrator, Miles Halter or Pudge is the kind of person who isn’t exposed well enough to the real world. No doubt he is an introvert yet easy to get along. At the end of the book, he also struck me as a bit selfish. (The way ‘to be continued’ is mentioned innumerable times.) Alaska Young, on the other hand is quite an adventurous, care-free and also a scared girl. The mysterious girl is also a great prankster. Her commitment to books and to her boyfriend Jake is unmistakably. Then, Chip Martin or ‘The Colonel’ is also a care-free, spoilt brat. He strongly believes in loyalty towards friends. So, he is not a ratter! To be true, I don’t think he believed in true love, given the scenario with Sara. These three persons are so well characterized for the well-written novel.
The book is divided in two parts. ‘Before’ and ‘After’. They both are so different from one another that it becomes really unpredictable; which is part of the fun. The former part is about the hostel life. Forming friends to ragging to groupism to cigarettes and drinking, there are all the typical cool elements with adventures and lots of humor. The pre-prank thing was the most funny and awesome part in the segment.
As much as I enjoyed reading the ‘Before’, it was a totally heartbreaking ‘After’! Everything was falling in place and all of a sudden Alaska was no more! (I guess John Green loves to do this!) There was a touch of mystery to it too. The question, ‘How will we ever get out of the labyrinth?’ was really something. We have to forgive. It was really thought provoking. The novel raises questions about an after-life, heaven and hell.The quote, ‘People believe in an after-life because they cannot bear not to’ struck me to be very true. I wonder often what becomes of us when we die. (Not really my best wonders.) But the idea of an afterlife is so convincing and kind of becomes an answer to everything. That is why we cannot bear it if it wasn’t the actual answer! So what really does happen? We might never know as far as we are alive.
Hello! I'm Aishwarya, an Introverted bookworm & writer. I have been reviewing books since 6 years on my blog - Mindscape in Words. My favourite genres are Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers, Magical Realism, Poetry, Fantasy & Memoirs. I like the kind of books which evoke emotions on several levels leaving me wrecked, but also incredibly content.
I'm dreaming for the world to paint a landscape full of words, more like Mindscape in Words. Hope you enjoy the view.
