“The Fault in Our Stars”

Adolescent literature has become less childish in recent years. A genre that once upon a time dealt with issues of making the team and getting a date to prom now often takes on grim realities of life rather than fairytale romance. Such is the case with John Green’s latest novel, The Fault in Our Stars.

While the title is taken from Julius Caesar, the theme echoes Romeo and Juliet. However, in Green’s fiction the star-crossed lovers find impediments not in feuding parents, but in diseases warring against their bodies. Hazel Lancaster tells her story, a 17-year-old girl who struggles with lung cancer. She finds love with Augustus Waters, a boy of like age who faces bone cancer.

While Green is dealing with the grimmest of grim subjects, his tale has resonated with readers of all ages, propelling his book on to adult as well as young adult bestseller lists. A number of factors contribute to this phenomenon. Primary, of course, is the classic Romeo and Juliet story. As readers we want young lovers to connect, to marry and live happily ever after, and not just to contribute to the social security system: we desperately want validation for our idealism, the power of true love.

A second reason for the novel’s popularity is the humor and wit of the protagonists. Both Gus and Hazel are intelligent, literate and self-aware. They are authentic teenagers, but articulate and independent. Their world is not one of fantasy, but rather the realities of family relationships during times of crisis, and especially, of the complexities of terminal illnesses. Green does not gloss over medicial procedures nor the consequences.

A cloud of inevitability hangs over the story as the kids attend support group meetings and make occasional visits to intensive care units. This is not a story with a fairy godmother waiting in the wings for her entrance cue. Hazel’s father cries easily, and so does the reader. But both Hazel and her boyfriend Augustus have a tendency to be smart alecks, and we laugh in spite of our grief for them.

Finally, the novel is successful because of the author’s craft. The plot is meticulously constructed, and if any flaw exists, perhaps it is the fact that sometimes the bones of the story peek through. But inevitability, in a perverse sort of way, adds to the power of the story. As in the love story of Romeo and Juliet, intensity is a compensation for brevity.

This writer resists the urge to retell the tale. Trust him when he assures you that the characters are charismatic, the plotline compelling, and the resolution satisfying. While the subject matter is unsettling, the handling is not. Have a box of tissues nearby and don’t be surprised if you finish the book in one sitting.