Scan barcode
A review by amandakath
Looking for Alaska by John Green
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Having first read this book in high school and now as an adult, I can say it's actually better as an adult in my opinion.
Yes it centers around school aged teens, but the themes of death and eternity and purpose and state of being are themes that really pop up in our 20s (so goes my experience).
As a teenager, reading this book felt more like an angsty love story, and while I did relate to Alaska and her depression, it was a very surface level comparison.
Now as an adult I still relate to Alaska, but more in the way that I understand and relate to how frustrated she was with how the world worked, and how her heart yearned for answers, and a Great Perhaps. I think on some level we all desire to find our Great Perhaps, maybe we even wonder whether there is one.
Yes it centers around school aged teens, but the themes of death and eternity and purpose and state of being are themes that really pop up in our 20s (so goes my experience).
As a teenager, reading this book felt more like an angsty love story, and while I did relate to Alaska and her depression, it was a very surface level comparison.
Now as an adult I still relate to Alaska, but more in the way that I understand and relate to how frustrated she was with how the world worked, and how her heart yearned for answers, and a Great Perhaps. I think on some level we all desire to find our Great Perhaps, maybe we even wonder whether there is one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Mental illness