Scan barcode
A review by thebookishfeminist
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
5.0
I know it’s super uncool to like John Green, but, to be honest, this is the very first JG book I’ve ever read. I haven’t seen the movies (I don’t exactly live under a rock, but I guess it’s close enough). So, when I picked up this book after finishing my previous book, I was ready for a set of characters to get completely ensconced in, and Turtles All the Way Down got the job done. I don’t know if I’ve ever related so much to the characters. As someone who struggles incessantly with anxiety, it was like the reality of living all of the internal thoughts and fears I have was finally given permission to exist. I haven’t ever been very honest about my own thought spirals, so, when Aza not only discusses her own but also brings us right in with her, I for once didn’t feel alone in my own sometimes-crippling anxiety.
I’ve read the critiques of TATWD, and it isn’t that I don’t agree with some of the irritation other readers have with the way Green constructs his novels, but I not only got sucked into this book and had a hard time putting it down; I felt understood by this set of characters, particularly Aza and Davis, and it felt really freeing to have this kind of story on the pages in front of me. Green does an impeccable job of conveying the reality of mental-health challenges all while bringing to life relatable, relatively interesting characters and a plot that intrigued me right away. I understand where the criticism comes from, but I am so glad I read this book.
I’ve read the critiques of TATWD, and it isn’t that I don’t agree with some of the irritation other readers have with the way Green constructs his novels, but I not only got sucked into this book and had a hard time putting it down; I felt understood by this set of characters, particularly Aza and Davis, and it felt really freeing to have this kind of story on the pages in front of me. Green does an impeccable job of conveying the reality of mental-health challenges all while bringing to life relatable, relatively interesting characters and a plot that intrigued me right away. I understand where the criticism comes from, but I am so glad I read this book.