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A review by kvroegop
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
emotional
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The good:
• It’s funny to read this after having just recently finished Anthropocene Reviewed. It’s clear they were written in a similar time frame, and I feel like I know John Green a lot better than I expected to.
• I loved reading about Indianapolis. I’ve never read a novel set in a location I’m so familiar with. It’s a silly, inconsequential little city, but I love it for a lot of reasons. It’s clear Green does too.
The hard? the bad?:
•As the partner of someone with OCD, I’m familiar with empathizing with Aza. I thought I had a pretty clear understanding of what dealing with intrusive thoughts is like, but this book demonstrated how much more there is to understand.
• As the partner of someone with OCD, I hated Daisy. As a friend, I hated Daisy. As a girl, I hated Daisy. I’ve known some Daisys, and hell, I’ve been Daisy. Doesn’t make her less insufferable. Who makes YEARS of fanfics barely fasçading your “friend” as a useless burden and continues to call yourself her best friend? I don’t think she loves Aza as much as she loves having a friend who will listen to her talk about herself.
All in all, it’s heavy and hard to read, but good.
• It’s funny to read this after having just recently finished Anthropocene Reviewed. It’s clear they were written in a similar time frame, and I feel like I know John Green a lot better than I expected to.
• I loved reading about Indianapolis. I’ve never read a novel set in a location I’m so familiar with. It’s a silly, inconsequential little city, but I love it for a lot of reasons. It’s clear Green does too.
The hard? the bad?:
•As the partner of someone with OCD, I’m familiar with empathizing with Aza. I thought I had a pretty clear understanding of what dealing with intrusive thoughts is like, but this book demonstrated how much more there is to understand.
• As the partner of someone with OCD, I hated Daisy. As a friend, I hated Daisy. As a girl, I hated Daisy. I’ve known some Daisys, and hell, I’ve been Daisy. Doesn’t make her less insufferable. Who makes YEARS of fanfics barely fasçading your “friend” as a useless burden and continues to call yourself her best friend? I don’t think she loves Aza as much as she loves having a friend who will listen to her talk about herself.
All in all, it’s heavy and hard to read, but good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Mental illness