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I enjoyed this young adult-ish lit story but I have some reservations as well. At times, Green's wit and realism are pragmatic but at other times they are only emulatively so. I appreciate the infusion of erudite coolness and literary allusions but the layers were, at times, a bit much. I don't really want to go into detail explaining what I mean by "layers" but those of you who are of the critical mind might identify with what I'm talking about. For instance, there are emulative intellectuals and political-correct dingbats that surround us everyday, spouting universal truths and attempting to sound unique and original. Then there are those who can say the same thing the dingbats say but with different intent and meaning, in such a way as to convince us it is mere wisdom, as opposed to 1st year college philosophy. With Green's The Fault in Our Stars, I am unsure as to which side of the spectrum he sits.
The underlying certainty I have after closing this book is that it did indeed move me and it did highlight some uncomfortable topics in a way that was believable. There is some depth to the writing but on another level a simplicity that, again, I cannot peg as necessarily intentional. In some ways, the novel reads like a quote duologue filled with allusions and unrealistically intellectual teenagers who spout them through loquacious duels of flirtation (yeah, and Green's writing is a bit wordy and snobby like that last sentence was too). But you know what? It's not quite the purple prose of The Gargoyle and as I process this book after just reading it, I think I can say it's sincere. The Anne Frank scene was solid and I may have looked like I was chopping onions a few times near the end. I think it's a nice novel for teens to look at a serious set of themes. I enjoyed it. The writing is accessible, fluid, funny.