Book Review| 'Paper Towns'- John Green

 

“She loved mysteries so much, that maybe she became one.”

An average geeky boy’s obsession with a girl who is way out of his league, who has a couple of sidekick best friends who at times seem more interesting than our protagonist geeky boy, with an impromptu road trip somewhere in the story; yeah, that sounds like a ‘typical John Green’ story. But, here’s the thing, even with such recognizable patterns, each of his stories are different from one another. ‘Will Grayson, Will Grayson’, ‘Paper Towns’ and ‘An Abundance of Katherines’, all of them have almost the same foundation but a different journey, a different destination.

Quentin Jacobsen, Q, has been in love with Margo Roth Spiegelman, his neighbour next-door, since they were kids. Years after, the two best-friends lose their bond and live separate, independent lives now. That’s how it is between the two of them, until one day, just a few days before their high school graduation, the ever so popular, the most desirable, the one and only Margo Roth Spiegelman climbs up to Q’s window and invites him for a revengeful night against her cheating boyfriend and two former best friends who wronged her. That night, Quentin and Margo reconnect and Q hopes that the next day at school will be totally different and perhaps the things will somehow change for the better. But, Margo never shows up. Although no one seems much concerned, not even her mom, because it’s not like Margo hasn’t pulled any disappearing acts before. In fact, she is even known to leave ‘Bread Crumbs’ behind. But Quinton, seems to be lost and disheartened. It is in one of these, a copy of Walt Whitman’s ‘Leaves of Grass’ that he finds the highlighted sections making him wonder, that perhaps this time things are more serious than ever and Margo is not coming back, and there are chances that she might not even be alive anymore.

From there on, Q makes it his personal mission, although with the help of his friends, to find Margo Roth Spiegelman, be it dead or alive.

 
It is an amazingly penned down plot that weaves a web of mystery and comedy in order to pin down the readers to and never put the book down until the end. The story is broken down into three sections, named: ‘The Strings’, ‘The Grass’ and ‘The Vessels’ that speak for the metaphors used in the book to elucidate today’s society. “The Strings” depicts the breaking, irreversible and inevitable changes, which are some undeniable parts of life; “The Grass” portrays our family and friends, who always remain to be our anchors and bring a breeze of freshness in our lives; and lastly, “The Vessel” is about the journeys, the ups and downs and final destinations that we all end up with. A major disappointment at last was that Margo didn’t turn out to be as wise as she seemed to be, because the fact that she thinks she can just disappear and hide herself in her ‘Paper Town’ doesn’t sit well with me. There are better and more realistic ways to spend your happy ever after. Well after all, Margo was “not a miracle… she was a girl”. Although this helps John Green in conveying one of the very vital messages- ‘People may not always be the way we imagine them to be.’ In fact, I’d say that one of the most important messages this book conveys to its readers is, getting to really know people, understanding their circumstances and accepting the reality that it brings along. I really appreciate the author’s efforts in intertwining the words in such an enchanting way that we ‘live’ the story, rather than reading it.

Now, personally speaking, would I recommend this book to anybody? Definitely yes. But would I recommend it to the someone who’s looking for a happily ever after? Maybe no. The book takes us through a rollercoaster ride of love, hope, disappointment and the truth of life. Well, if you liked ‘Alaska’ and ‘Abundance of Katherines’, then you should give this book a read.



-Shreya Roy