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A review by indistinct_static
Looking for Alaska by John Green
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
To confess upfront: I am too critical of YA literature, and I hesitate to offer an opinion as an adequate interpretation of a text like Looking for Alaska simply because I don't feel that I possess the correct perspective for it. But this is a review, an encapsulation of my thoughts, and so I'll do my best.
Within Looking for Alaska, John Green explores the themes of agency, youthful ignorance and obsession, depression, and the burgeoning sexuality of young adulthood. Our main character, Miles, meets a cadre of characters who form the foundation of his friend group as he acclimates to Culver Creek, a prep highschool. Among these is the titular Alaska, a girl who is terribly impulsive, rash, and moody, but someone who lives deeply and possesses a keen intellect. The chemistry between Miles and Alaska seems odd and was one of the main reasons why I struggled to enjoy this book from the onset.
It was right before I hit the climactic halfway point where I settled on a 2-star rating, of which I revised to a 3 after said point. Alaska's psychosis, for lack of a better word, framed so perfectly with my experiences of friends with similar struggles that it felt as though it pierced my heart. The impulsive recklessness gained a proper framing, and it's something I feel Green deserve high praise for.
What follows afterwards, however, kept this at a 3. I had a similar experience in highschool--albeit much further removed from the individual than Miles was--and in no universe would the faculty have handled it in as grandiose a fashion as the faculty of Culver Creek did. It felt gauche the amount of gravitas and the constant reminders implemented; I could only imagine how traumatic it would be to have such a tragedy baked into my studies at every turn. Instead it's portrayed as completely normal, this forced mass therapy, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Ancillary characters felt largely expendable, particularly Lara, a girl with whom Miles enters an extremely short-lived relationship with (and who gives him his first blowjob). Her only defining feature is an accent that, in all honesty, was more annoying to read than endearing.
I'll only comment on the prose insomuch as it is exceptionally brisk, though given the target audience it's entirely expected. It would be unfair to maintain my expectations set by Pynchon earlier this week. I believe Green does a perfectly adequate job writing for young adult readers.
Within Looking for Alaska, John Green explores the themes of agency, youthful ignorance and obsession, depression, and the burgeoning sexuality of young adulthood. Our main character, Miles, meets a cadre of characters who form the foundation of his friend group as he acclimates to Culver Creek, a prep highschool. Among these is the titular Alaska, a girl who is terribly impulsive, rash, and moody, but someone who lives deeply and possesses a keen intellect. The chemistry between Miles and Alaska seems odd and was one of the main reasons why I struggled to enjoy this book from the onset.
It was right before I hit the climactic halfway point where I settled on a 2-star rating, of which I revised to a 3 after said point. Alaska's psychosis, for lack of a better word, framed so perfectly with my experiences of friends with similar struggles that it felt as though it pierced my heart. The impulsive recklessness gained a proper framing, and it's something I feel Green deserve high praise for.
What follows afterwards, however, kept this at a 3. I had a similar experience in highschool--albeit much further removed from the individual than Miles was--and in no universe would the faculty have handled it in as grandiose a fashion as the faculty of Culver Creek did. It felt gauche the amount of gravitas and the constant reminders implemented; I could only imagine how traumatic it would be to have such a tragedy baked into my studies at every turn. Instead it's portrayed as completely normal, this forced mass therapy, and it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Ancillary characters felt largely expendable, particularly Lara, a girl with whom Miles enters an extremely short-lived relationship with (and who gives him his first blowjob). Her only defining feature is an accent that, in all honesty, was more annoying to read than endearing.
I'll only comment on the prose insomuch as it is exceptionally brisk, though given the target audience it's entirely expected. It would be unfair to maintain my expectations set by Pynchon earlier this week. I believe Green does a perfectly adequate job writing for young adult readers.