PAPER TOWNS by John Green
"It's easier to leave than be left behind."--REM, "Leaving New York"
I haven't read much YA fiction on my own lately. Usually what I read has to do with work, and I've read it six or seven times already. But I picked up John Green's Edgar winning PAPER TOWNS on the recommendation of a former student and Sarah.
Wow.
This is the YA book I've been looking for.
Quentin Jacobsen (the original draft of this post said his surname was "Richardson." Clearly, it was because I was reading about basketball before I posted this... whoops) is on the verge of ending high school sitting in his room, not wanting to go to prom. Suddenly the girl next door, Margo Roth Spiegelman shows up to take him on an all night adventure. The next morning Q can't wait to get to school and talk to Margo. Only to find out she's disappeared. And left clues for Q to find her.
The search is suspenseful and it has all the twists and turns of a mystery novel, but that's not what got me. What suckered me in was the exploration of nostalgia, identity, and leaving. Q thinks about leaving high school, how much he wants to grow up, start a new life, leave high school. But at the same time, he's drawn to the memories, the moments of friendship he'll lose.
I haven't encountered characters this complex in my YA experience. No one is who they seem to be, and yet they are exactly who they seem to be. Everything they say makes complete sense, and fits who they are. I can remember all these feelings when I left high school. I remember wanting to get out so bad, and at the same time never wanting to leave.
This is a book for every dorky guy in high school who was also really cool. For anyone who ever hung out around the bandroom. For anyone who was quick witted and funny and incredibly shy.
It's a book about how easy it is to leave, even when it's better to stay behind.
It's highly recommended.
(If you want to hear John talk about the book, click here.)
I haven't read much YA fiction on my own lately. Usually what I read has to do with work, and I've read it six or seven times already. But I picked up John Green's Edgar winning PAPER TOWNS on the recommendation of a former student and Sarah.
Wow.
This is the YA book I've been looking for.
Quentin Jacobsen (the original draft of this post said his surname was "Richardson." Clearly, it was because I was reading about basketball before I posted this... whoops) is on the verge of ending high school sitting in his room, not wanting to go to prom. Suddenly the girl next door, Margo Roth Spiegelman shows up to take him on an all night adventure. The next morning Q can't wait to get to school and talk to Margo. Only to find out she's disappeared. And left clues for Q to find her.
The search is suspenseful and it has all the twists and turns of a mystery novel, but that's not what got me. What suckered me in was the exploration of nostalgia, identity, and leaving. Q thinks about leaving high school, how much he wants to grow up, start a new life, leave high school. But at the same time, he's drawn to the memories, the moments of friendship he'll lose.
I haven't encountered characters this complex in my YA experience. No one is who they seem to be, and yet they are exactly who they seem to be. Everything they say makes complete sense, and fits who they are. I can remember all these feelings when I left high school. I remember wanting to get out so bad, and at the same time never wanting to leave.
This is a book for every dorky guy in high school who was also really cool. For anyone who ever hung out around the bandroom. For anyone who was quick witted and funny and incredibly shy.
It's a book about how easy it is to leave, even when it's better to stay behind.
It's highly recommended.
(If you want to hear John talk about the book, click here.)
Labels: Book Reviews, John Green, Paper Towns, Reviews
posted by Dave White at 5:50 PM
4 Comments:
Dude... I recommended this book to you when it first came out! Get on the YA train, sir! I can recommend so many more awesome ones!
I'm a sucker of suspense books and it's nice to know that you have written about a good one. You see, writing research papers is my life. I spend most of my time researching and of course, writing. I can't wait to read the book and surely, I will recommend this to my other co-coursework writers. Thanks for sharing:)
You need to read his other two - Looking For Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. Same kind of style, characters, voices, etc. They are awesome. And there were no books like his - written from a male POV that I could relate to - when I was a kid. About freakin' time.
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