Paper Towns – John Green

“It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.”

Quentin Jacobsen is your average teenager. A nerd who loves a girl – Margo Roth Spielgelman – who, he believes, is unattainable. But what he doesn’t know is that Margo is not the person he knows or even loves for that matter. One night, she just goes missing. Gone like a whoosh of a wind. Quentin is hell bent on finding Margo. Will he find her or will he be too late… Read Paper towns to get the answers to your questions.

I actually have to admit that I knew nothing about Paper towns until stumbling upon this book. Though after reading it, I can say that it was better this way. Without knowing the gist of the novel, you understand it better. If I had known what the novel was about, I would know what to expect next and this would have made the book boring for me.

So, Paper Towns is another fabulous book written by the famous YA author ‘John Green’. I believe that his authentic way of writing from the perspective of any teenager’s mind is a gift and also, one of the many reasons to his grand success. The plot of this story was very cleverly written.

The characters of this book is what makes it so popular among the youth. Quentin and his friends felt real. They were not just the creation of mere imagination. They had some reality in them. On the other hand, Margo was a completely imaginary character (reading the entire book, I now know that it was extremely important to show her in this manner). 

I, being a teenager, could definitely relate to them proving this book to be a success because that is what the motto of any author is – to relate the readers and characters.

In this book, John Green puts up tons of stereotypes and peels back the layers to reveal the people beneath. How she was noticed yet so unnoticed at the same time.

This story was one hell of a journey but it definitely raises many questions – how well do you know your friends? Do they actually let out what they feel? Do they hide more scars than you could possibly imagine? These were some of the answers which I received in this book.

Another thing I got from John Green books, this being the second book I read, did not have a crappy cliché happy ending. Rather, it gave a more realistic and satisfactory ending. The climax was something I was not expecting. But well, now I do understand that this ending was necessary. Margo was amped up in Quentin’s mind as an unattainable more – than – human – species. When in reality, she was just a normal teenager wishing to find herself in this crowd of people.

Margo’s character held a very complex personality. She had different views from various people. Some considered her quiet while the others considered her very cheeky. This was the entire idea of the book – to decipher the true personality of Margo.

The metaphors in the book were beyond any words. They were simply flawless. I never got it how John Green views the world from such a wonderful perspective. Hats off to you, sir!

The only criticism I have is that in the middle, the pace became extremely slow. Nothing was actually going on in the novel. But on the brighter side, there were many laugh out loud moments which I was, honestly, not expecting.

I could actually just go on and on about the impeccability of this book but I think I should just stop right here (shouldn’t spoil it for you all, right).  To conclude, this is a book which will leave you pondering upon today’s orthodox and stereotypical society. Like any other John Green book, you will learn loads about the characters but most probably, a lot about yourself as well... With John Green being the controller, this journey of the Paper Towns will be more than just memorable…