5 stars

This is a truly breathtaking novel.

When I first started the book, I was a little weary due to Q’s fixation on Margo. Great, another book about a boy idolizing a girl beyond personhood. But Green really surprised me with a fantastic glimpse into the human experience, through adolescent eyes.

The book is perfect in its simplicity and its complexity. Green really taps into the teenage mind as it pulls from its environment (books, schoolwork, parental comments) and builds a worldview accordingly. The themes are simple to follow and understand, but outstandingly complex and intense in their scope. The book has an interesting plot, but also really speaks to what it is to be human and what it mean to grow up as individuals.

I really enjoyed this novel.

There were terms I did not like, such as the character’s use of “retarded”, but overall the book was well thought out and the characters were well developed. I enjoyed the realness of the characters and their journey to understanding each other as well as themselves. At times funny, at times philosophical, at times philosophically funny, this is a beautiful piece of literature.