Paper Towns by John Green


















Margo always loved mysteries. And in everything that came afterward, I could never stop thinking that maybe she loved mysteries so much that she became one.


If you do NOT want to cry your eyes out but want to read something by the ever talented John Green then I would advise you to hastily go to your nearest library and borrow the thought-provokingly story of Paper Towns. This story was not what I was expecting after the tear-fest that was Fault in Our Stars. Instead this is a fast paced story with some very profound revelations.

The story is told from the point of view of Quentin who has known and loved the enigmatic Margo since he was a young. Their friendship has become distance until one night he sees her outside his bedroom window. From their Margo takes him through a hysterically written 11 set plan to enact revenge on several members of her social group. However, Margo does not turn up to school the next day, or the next and as her time away grows Quentin begins to follow a trail of clues desperately searching for her. As he searches he begins to learn more and more about Margo, who she is and who she pretends to be. He begins to fall deeper in love with her and becomes desperate to find her.

Quentin and Margo are incredibly different but in the first few chapters we get to know their individual idiosyncrasies really well.  I personally feel John Green writes really wonderful male characters. They have the right balance of personality, looks and wit that I love. I found myself laughing out loud at the way Quentin had phrased things and I loved pretty much all the scenes with him and his friends. However, I didn't like Margo and that was part of my issue with the story. I had kind of been hoping for a slightly less poignant more gritty ending then was delivered and for me I didn't really feel that Margo as a character made much sense, but I guess that may have been the point. Margo is quite egotistical but unsure all at the same time. At 18 she chooses a life that makes little sense for a vibrant outgoing individual. The total abandonment of her family and friends came far too naturally to her and for me I felt she manipulated Quentin throughout the book (even when she wasn't there). I know how Quentin felt; I believed he genuinely loved her. However, I am sceptical about how Margo truly felt for him. 

Having said all that I was gripped. Maybe that is because from start to finish the first person narrative is brilliant. So even though I was not a big fan of Margo the fact I loved listening to Quentin tell his story got me through this book in no time at all. The fast paced, quirky and pretty darn funny way that Quentin retold this tale was superb and demonstrates just what a masterpiece of a character he is. For me this story is not the story of Margo, she may drive the stories direction but for me we watch as Quentin discovers who he is and decides who he wants to be.


If you want to read John Green but don’t want to cry your eyes out then Paper Towns is for you!

Comments