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A review by timelord10
Looking for Alaska by John Green
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
** spoiler alert ** "We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken." John Green is definitely know for his hard hitting, emotional books. Looking for Alaska was his debut novel that the set the stage for his writing. And this book is extremely emotional and an impressive book, considering it is his debut.
Part 1 of Looking for Alaska sets up the story and the characters. We get to know all of the characters pretty well except for Alaska. She is hard to figure out and mysterious. You find out she watched her mom die near the end of part 1, and it seems like it answers a lot of questions. But then she once again becomes mysterious and unpredictable when she wants to hook up with Pudge, and then is suddenly waking her friends up with her screaming and crying. So, she manages to maintain her mysteriousness. Miles "Pudge" in part 1 is the new kid who never fit in at home, but he finds he fits in here with a band of "misfits". So, he does whatever they want to do perhaps to feel like he belongs. He doesn't want to be excluded again. He's living what he probably thinks is his Great Perhaps. He's being a typical tee, living and not fully noticing everything in anyone else's world except his own. The Colonel feels like a mix of Alaska and Pudge, yet somehow seems more put together than both of them. He's probably my favorite character.
Part 2 is about after Alaska dies. So, what does the title Looking for Alaska mean? To me, Looking for Alaska is her friend's journeys through their grief. They are trying to understand the why and how she died. And honestly, they never really figure it out. They end the book just assuming he committed suicide, but Green is never clear really. In the end, Pudge says, "She didn't leave me enough to discover her, but she left me enough to rediscover the Great Perhaps. So, he even acknowledges that he never found Alaska. She manages to maintain her mysteriousness throughout the entirety of the book even after she dies. But she gives her friends this new hope. Pudge realizes he can survive no matter the bad things that happens. Green ends the book on a hopeful note despite all that has happened. And I think that is one of my favorite things about the book. There was despair, but in the end, there is acceptance for what happened and hope for what is to come.
Part 1 of Looking for Alaska sets up the story and the characters. We get to know all of the characters pretty well except for Alaska. She is hard to figure out and mysterious. You find out she watched her mom die near the end of part 1, and it seems like it answers a lot of questions. But then she once again becomes mysterious and unpredictable when she wants to hook up with Pudge, and then is suddenly waking her friends up with her screaming and crying. So, she manages to maintain her mysteriousness. Miles "Pudge" in part 1 is the new kid who never fit in at home, but he finds he fits in here with a band of "misfits". So, he does whatever they want to do perhaps to feel like he belongs. He doesn't want to be excluded again. He's living what he probably thinks is his Great Perhaps. He's being a typical tee, living and not fully noticing everything in anyone else's world except his own. The Colonel feels like a mix of Alaska and Pudge, yet somehow seems more put together than both of them. He's probably my favorite character.
Part 2 is about after Alaska dies. So, what does the title Looking for Alaska mean? To me, Looking for Alaska is her friend's journeys through their grief. They are trying to understand the why and how she died. And honestly, they never really figure it out. They end the book just assuming he committed suicide, but Green is never clear really. In the end, Pudge says, "She didn't leave me enough to discover her, but she left me enough to rediscover the Great Perhaps. So, he even acknowledges that he never found Alaska. She manages to maintain her mysteriousness throughout the entirety of the book even after she dies. But she gives her friends this new hope. Pudge realizes he can survive no matter the bad things that happens. Green ends the book on a hopeful note despite all that has happened. And I think that is one of my favorite things about the book. There was despair, but in the end, there is acceptance for what happened and hope for what is to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Suicide, and Alcohol