Turtles All The Way Down: A Thought Provoking Read!
Posted On November 8, 2017
Hello Readers! I’m ecstatic to bring to you 4th post in Mindscape Reviews, more close to my heart, a Book Review!! John Green is one of my favourite authors & I was thrilled when his new novel ‘Turtles All The Way Down’ was released this month, after a gap of 5 YEARS!! Why did you make us wait, so long, Nerdfighter? Here goes the review!!
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INTRODUCTION:
I have been a fan of John Green since a really long time! My favourite novel by him is ‘Looking for Alaska’ & of course ‘The Fault in Our Stars’. So, after 2012, now we are blessed with another book! When I knew that he was coming up with another YA novel, I was beyond excited! Turtles All the Way Down is a story set in Indiana including a few teens, a coming-of-age bit, bits & pieces of a love story and somewhat mystery.
ABOUT AUTHOR:
Let me give you a bit of a background about John Green. He lives in Indiana, which I never forget because most of his characters also live in Indiana. He has written & co-authored 7 novels so far. Along with his brother Hank Green, they have a YouTube channel called vlogbrothers, which also I love! About his writing, it is extra ordinary. Being a 40-year-old dad, he can amazingly put himself in the shoes/heels of a 17-year old girl. And to me, that’s awesome.
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CHARACTERS:
You can say there are 3 main characters in the novel; Aza Holmes, Daisy & Davis Pickett.
Aza Holmes… How do I begin to describe Aza? I love her. I relate to her. I am her, in some ways, even!! She is someone who has a LOT OF ISSUES, real ones. Not just high school drama. She is suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). To her friends, she is shown as full of herself, but in reality she is just unaware of how sometimes she can become aloof from the world or its problems. It’s like she has this disease & everything revolves around it, no matter how much she tries to control it. But, I liked her character development. Earlier it was seeing a simple person who is in her own world. Then, we get to see her reasons & how she can be with someone too.
Daisy is Aza’s best friend. They are peas in a pod. Daisy is a popular Star Wars fiction writer. They have a lot of differences; class, family, thinking & perception about people. But, I suppose, differences get people closer than likes. (And that I speak of by personal experience, M.) So, yes, they understand each other & are always there for each other no matter what. That I really liked!
Davis Pickett, you can say is shown as Aza’s love interest. Though saying it that way waters down the depth of their relationship A LOT. He is sweet, writes beautifully, knows how to nurture a relation; but all anyone sees is a rich brat, which is very sad. I liked his character development. From what he was portrayed to how he was once he was in the picture It was quite amazing, it felt like I was going through that transition with him from stranger to friend.
STORY LINE:
Davis’s father goes missing and there’s 100000 million dollars reward for the person who finds him. So, he definitely is involved in some fraud. This news catches the attention of Daisy & along with Aza, they set on this mission. However, when Aza realises the real side of Davis, she decides to quit finding his father & instead be his friend.
There are ups & down as a story should have. Ups & downs during the ‘Finding-Russell-Pickett-Mystery’. Ups & downs during Aza & Daisy’s friendship. Ups & downs during Aza’s mental condition. There were a lot of things going on at the same time & then I stopped in the middle of a paragraph & thought, “Wow, I’m loving this book!”
OVERVIEW:
Overall, I think I’d rate Turtles All The Way Down a 3.5/5 on Goodreads. Yes, there are many amazing things. I loved that John Green touched the sensitive topic of mental illness in such brilliance. The conversations in the head of normal Aza & OCD Aza are so complicated & twisted that it made me go, “Arrgghhhh!! Just decide on something.” And I suppose that’s what he wanted to portray. That’s how the mind of someone who has mental illness goes. And I cannot imagine it having it all the time. So, that’s the thing which deserves a lot of applause! Writing about mental illness & having people understand how it actually feels!
Secondly, I loved all the characters & how they turned out. Yes, it was cliché to get a friend like Daisy for a person like Aza. But, never mind, I liked it. Because, that’s how life is.
The thing with which I was not so happy about was the Russel disappearance. I mean the entire story is based on it, when it is kind of pointless. So, there should’ve been a stronger story there, I believe.
Other than that, no complaints!
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QUOTES:
Apart from the amazing photos, here are the quotes or lines from the book which I absolutely adored!
1. True terror isn’t being scared; it’s not having a choice in the matter.
2. Is there a you independent of circumstances? Is there a way-deep-down me who is an actual, real person if she has money or not, the same person if she has a boyfriend or not, the same if she goes to this school or that school? Or am I only a set of circumstances?
3. It’s a weird phrase in English, in love, like it’s a sea you drown in.
Until next time,
About The Author
Aishwarya Shenolikar
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.
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