Laugh and You Burn -The Fault in Our Stars (Post 1)

As it is known, this book is supposed to have a sad tone to it. Yet, I didn't understand when I first starting reading this book, how the sadness was interpreted. Such as I thought it would have an over all depressing tone though in truth. I found the beginning and the way the main character, Hazel, explains her predicament with load sarcasm and a touch of sass really pulls out some humor in this book. "... Patrick recount for the thousandth time his depressingly miserable life story- how he had cancer in his balls and they thought he was going to die but he didn't die and now here he is, a full-grown adult in a church basement.... addicted to video games, mostly friendless... those many years ago when cancer took both of his nuts but spared what only the generous soul would call his life. AND YOU MIGHT BE SO LUCKY!" (Page 4-5) In my head I read this thought of Hazel with a bored tone, like reciting a story for a thousandth time, just as she said in her quote. With the ending of how they might be so lucky to get that, how she describes it, miserable almost meaningless life. It was quite humorous with this relatable teenage tone and thoughts. Also with use of this tone and the use of slang terms, Hazel seems more dimensional and how we can understand her on a level basis. But, back with humor, it is used to help the story along but when it gets bad, it hits, hard.

As with the humor, a trap is set. Little did I know starting this book that was overwhelmed with humor and sarcasm, that soon, this lightly bubbliness will be gone. When a bad thing happens in a happy moment you don't expect it. So with this story, when the bad part came, it hit home run. And even so far as page 25, I lost it. "I had a neck surgery called radical neck dissection, which is as pleasant as it sounds. Then radiation. Then they tried some chemo for my lung tumors. My tumors shrank and then grew. By then, I was fourteen... I finally ended up in the ICU with pneumonia, and my mom kelt by the side of my bed and said, 'Are you ready, sweetie?' and I told her I was ready, and my dad just kept telling me he loved me in this voice that was not breaking so much as already broken, and I kept telling him I loved him too, and everyone was holding hands, and I couldn't catch my breath... And I remember my mom telling me it was okay, that I was okay, that I would be okay, and when my father was trying hard not to sob, that when he did... I remember wanting not to be awake." (Page 24-25) She starts out like she is retelling a story for the thousandth time again, with the dull overtaking tone. Yet as you get farther and farther into what she is saying, the depressing tone sets in and pushes down and down until you can't take the pressure. As soon as she mentioned her mom, I thought my own mom and the dad who was trying not to sob or cry. It was hard because I can't imagine being in a situation like that. It's so sad that this happened and it broke me, I'm not going to lie, I cried, a lot. Only 25 pages in, now I'm worried what's to come and if it gets worse. I'll just have to keep an eye out for the humor trap next time.

 

The Fault in Our Stars original trailer for the movie.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Fault-Stars-John-Green/dp/0525478817
This is the link for the Amazon page for the novel in case you were intersted in buying it.

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/03/05/esther-earl-star
Here is the story of the girl who insipired the book A Fault in Our Stars along with videos about her and part of her life story. Also contained some information of another book about her and her fight against cancer called This Star Won't Go out.