Author: John Green

There’s something satisfying about picking up a John Green book because you know it’s going to be a coming-of-age story, but not in a goofy, commercialized way.

It’s the over-the-top characters you want to relate to, yell at and befriend. And like his other works, it’s about brokenness and working through the pains of life.

Looking for Alaska is teenagers at a boarding school who have twisted backgrounds and befriend each other. What I love is the deviation from the typical plot arc of a drawn-out acceptance of the main character.

Nope–he fits into his group right away and the adventures begin.

I suppose I liked him because the awkward protagonist without a clue is a common motif in my own writing. However, it works really well here because this book divides into two sections (with the crossover point being a hard slap to the face) and the reader gets the satisfaction of seeing some self-actualization near the end.

If you like Green’s writing style, or any of his other books, and want to see where it all began, this one is worth reading.