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A review by bearystarry
Looking for Alaska by John Green
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
John Green has a great talent for writing a poignant ending; this one even made me cry. Unfortunately I found the rest of the book frustrating, as I did with Paper Towns. I do think this book is the more enjoyable for me of the two but they’re very similar in many ways and I will probably not be rereading either.
There’s something frustrating to me about both Margo and Alaska being incredibly tortured and traumatized teenage girls who are also then subjected to being objects of obsession to boring, privileged teenage boys who need an adventure. I know the Point is to highlight how girls are people and not manic pixie dream girl archetype Creatures but. The amount of trauma they seem to be required to hold onto feels… some kind of way to me.
There’s something frustrating to me about both Margo and Alaska being incredibly tortured and traumatized teenage girls who are also then subjected to being objects of obsession to boring, privileged teenage boys who need an adventure. I know the Point is to highlight how girls are people and not manic pixie dream girl archetype Creatures but. The amount of trauma they seem to be required to hold onto feels… some kind of way to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Classism