A review by lexarobinson
Looking for Alaska by John Green

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Green's debut novel, and hands down his best. The complex relationship between Miles and Alaska is explored in the perfect amount of detail, and then the plot twist comes out of seeming nowhere (aside from the chapter titles, which count down to the twist in a way that spoils it a little). However, the aftermath of such a twist is not entirely depressing (the assembly scene is one of the funniest scenes in all of fiction): the character growth is superbly written, with the diverse group of friends all growing throughout the course of the novel. Green makes the interesting choice to give the final word to Takumi, not Miles, but it is an effective one: it enables the ultimate focus to be settled in a way Miles' character could never manage.
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