Looking for Alaska – by John Green

Synopsis: BEFORE. Miles Halter’s whole life has been one big non-event until he starts at anything-but-boring Culver Creek Boarding School and meets Alaska Young. Gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, screwed up and utterly fascinating she pulls Miles into her world, launches him into a new life, and steals his heart. But when tragedy strikes, and Miles comes face-to-face with death he discovers the value of living and loving unconditionally.

AFTER: Nothing will ever be the same.

 

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Publisher: HarperCollins Children’s Books
Pages: 272
ISBN: 9780007424832

Rating: 

Winner of the 2006 Printz Award, this is the first John Green novel I’ve read so far (shameful, I know) but it will definitely not be the last.

This is an outstanding coming-of-age novel that, thankfully, doesn’t resort to the clichéd “happily ever after” ending; instead it focuses on the protagonist’s journey of seeking closure on his own terms. Green handles the big philosophical questions of life without them becoming heavy-handed.

The characters are well drawn, witty, and full of individual quirks; Miles, for example has an incredible ability of remembering the famous last words of countless people – now that’s pretty damn cool in my book.

Looking for Alaska is one of those novels where the words fall off the page and naturally paint a picture in your head; I found it inspirational, thought-provoking (especially the last few pages) and incredibly funny.

Now I just have to break my book buying ban so that I can get some more John Green novels. Life is hard.