A review by nelsey
Looking for Alaska by John Green

funny reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

after sitting on this book for a while, i’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a story about reinventing yourself, expanding your experiences, and ultimately about grief and what happens after death; it’s weaved throughout the story. miles went from a quiet socially isolated kid to a little less quiet and much more emotionally invested kid. i’m regularly taken aback at how teens are depicted in books like these because while it can be true, it’s not always what i think of or expect when i think about my own friend groups. while miles wasn’t always likeable, i found that i could see his motivations and understand where he was coming from.

he’d went from being basically friendless to finding a group that he really cared for and attached himself to and also experienced one of the first chances he had to pursue a relationship with someone. he found alaska fascinating and despite her wish-washiness and her tendency to lead miles on, he  had that hope in the back of his mind that she was interested in him; he thought he was special. even though alaska clearly needed professional help and wasn’t always the best to everyone, her good moments could be really good, and that was enough for him. enough to be able construct this idea of what they were in his mind, no matter how unrealistic

i understand why this book isn’t a favorite for everyone, sometimes the characters can be insufferable and it’s hard to excuse their faults. i had to accept that those faults were part of who they are and tried to understand them rather than be put off by them. miles could be selfish, alaska could be self-absorbed, and their entire friend group was a bit dysfunctional. they’re far from perfect but that makes me like them that much more