Book Stop Corner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


“Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face.”



John Green, the international best-selling author, created yet another masterpiece and this time it is called, Turtles All the Way Down and no trust me, this isn't a book about turtles, so sit tight while reading this book, as it might spiral you down to the soul's and mind's curious world about the existence of your own "self" within you. Sounds philosophical?! Yeah I know, this book is going to hit you hard in the right places and will awaken you from the deep slumber of your ignorance about the very existence of your own "self" with the help of the 16 year old teenage anxiety-stricken, OCDed female protagonist.



Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.


Two 16 year old high school teenage girls never dreamed in their lives that they would take part in the investigation of the missing person case mystery of their town's ill-famed billionaire, Russell Pickett in order to get their hands on the hundred-thousand-dollar whooping reward for valid information on the missing man. Aza, who has OCD and also borderline anxiety disorder, which has trapped her inside her own mind with doubts about the existence of her own "self" and the invisible germs constantly attacking her body and organs, along with her persuasive, funny and quirky, BFF, Daisy, decides to go on their missing person hunt by sailing down to the opposite end of the lake where lives her once-upon-a-time childhood friend, Davis, on whom she had a crush on, and who is also the son of the missing billionaire, Mr. Pickett. Little did Aza knew that her journey with her best friend, who not only bring her closer to Davis, but would also force her to be okay, to adjust and to learn to cope with her mental illness, while having a normal teenage life from falling in love to finding her dreams above everything else.

Let's just first take a moment to applaud the creativity, talent and honesty of Mr. Green that he portrayed impeccably through his new story. Once again you have made us fall for striking teenage characters who I'm pretty sure are going to leave an impression in the minds and hearts of the young readers. This isn't that much of a coming-of-age story, instead it is a story or rather say a reality, about a teenager's anxiety problems and her spiraling doubts and thoughts about her "self" existence, that we hardly discuss about in our lives. The first thing that is going to hit the readers is the question that on whether modern day teenagers have an ability to discuss about life and dreams on a philosophical level, well this is where I found myself frowning over the story line. Nevertheless, this is an unusual story about a not-so-typical teenager, the one who is always trying hard to be typical among the facades of her peers.

And yes Mr. Green always does the best in penning evocative stories about such unconventional teenagers trying hard to flow and mingle in the rush of teenage-hood, career, ambitions, love, responsibilities, friendships, tragedy, adventure and heartbreak. He is the torchbearer of these strange yet extraordinary teenagers who mostly remains invisible to the larger and popular crowd in a high school. Its doesn't only end there, he does it with finesse, immense emotions and extremely sensitively, that will strike the readers right at the center of their hearts. And hence time and again, I would once again urge all high school teenagers to make it a habit to read Mr. Green's books.

His writing style in this book is exquisite, flawless and articulate, laced with deep and thoughtful emotions that will move the readers instantly. His prose is sentimental and the narrative a bit philosophical, sometimes it can be a little too much heavy on the minds, yet kept close to realism. From the very first page, Aza's free-flowing narrative captivated me, and it is wondrous to witness how Mr. Green vividly captures the voice of a mentally-ill teenage female high schooler.

The author has given notable voice to his characters, so when they speak, the readers are bound to stay glued to the story. Also, the characters portray realism and honesty in their demeanor, no way, I felt them fictitious or pretentious at any cost. I bet many real life teenagers can contemplate and easily relate to the protagonist's situation of living with extreme anxiety while battling to stay normal in the forefront. Aza is one of a kind type of teenager, who struggles hard to get good grades in her school, get into a good college, try to act normal even though her spiraling thoughts and doubts are eating her alive from the inside and not letting her enjoy a normal teenage life. Yes she is an epitome of every other teenagers battling with mental health issues on a regular basis. And Daisy, she is fabulous, sometimes impulsive, but a kind and thoughtful friend, who doesn't sympathize with Aza's mental problems, instead treat her like a normal friend, and that is very important on how to treat teenagers with OCD or anxiety in reality. The rest of the supporting characters are also quite well developed.

The romance between Davis and Aza is very thoughtfully and emotionally penned out by the author. Even though the emotions run deep in this story, but the light hearted romance with a philosophical edge is definitely going to make the readers swoon with Aza and Davis' romantic journey through life's curious corridors. Now let's talk about the secondary plot which mainly focuses on the investigation of the missing billionaire, I felt that part to be quite dull, meaningless and has no interesting edge to make me feel anticipative towards the mystery. In short, the mystery isn't that well concocted.

Well I wish that the author has focused more on Aza's situation instead of the missing billionaire drama, since Aza is a fantastic girl and thank you, Mr. Green for letting me live in the skin of Aza and experience her bright, curious and anxious mind with such depth and vividness.

Verdict: Could have been a great book minus the mystery drama.
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Author Info:
John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best YA Mystery. In January 2012, his most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was met with wide critical acclaim, unprecedented in Green's career. The praise included rave reviews in Time Magazine and The New York Times, on NPR, and from award-winning author Markus Zusak. The book also topped the New York Times Children's Paperback Bestseller list for several weeks. Green has also coauthored a book with David Levithan called Will Grayson, Will Grayson, published in 2010. The film rights for all his books, with the exception of Will Grayson Will Grayson, have been optioned to major Hollywood Studios.
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