Books | Warning: do not read this book.

Okay so I'm late to the party on this one: The Fault in our Stars by John Green isn't a new release and I'm sure you know someone that has read it if you haven't yourself. I actively avoided this book after seeing reviews including  words like 'tragedy'. I'm not a masochist, I'm actually a master of self-preservation and anything remotely tear jerking is not for me. I like books that remove me from reality rather than bringing reality into sharp resolution, but when my friend (who has excellent taste in books) passed this one on to me, I gave it a shot. Mainly because I had nothing else to occupy myself with on a break on a night shift, but I started it nonetheless. And, not counting the short break I took to you know, deliver a baby, I read it start to finish without stopping.

I'm not going into the plot line, that's insulting; you can read the blurb as wells as the next person. In short; This book broke my heart. I sobbed like I haven't done over a book since Angela's Ashes, and being as I was approximately 11 and the book was about the foot and mouth disease epidemic (if I rememeber rightly) I'm not sure the emotional pull felt is really comparable.

This book made me feel. Excruciatingly tore me from my pleasant little world and thrust me into Hazel's without an apology. It's so much more than the story of a kid with cancer, it's a story of love and death and the unfairness of it all, but how despite that unfairness the world still goes on. Hazel's voice continues in my head even now and that's how you know a book is good, when you continue to try and live in that world even after it's over. 

I loved it but it's given me an emotion head ache. The worst sort. 

I don't suggest you read this book if you're after a heart warming, feel good happy ending, Hazel is a hypocrite in that her story doesn't finish, much to my annoyance. I want to email John Green and demand to know what happened to her, it's frustrating. I do however suggest you read this book if you want an insight to coping, to living and loving, to losing and to how, actually, the universe doesn't give a either way. Fantastic, inspriring and a whole lot of tragic. 

EDIT: despite the title of this post, I'm not trying to put you off the book! It's wonderfully written, charming and laugh out loud funny (cliche) in more than a few places. I feel better for reading it, I'm so glad I did. I realise my review doesn't actually state this outright but I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, do not read this book...except do, because it's great. I promise you won't cry the entire way through. 

Ps, I apologise for the photos and their irritating placement. This entire post was formulated and posted from my iPad. This isn't a permenant arrangement but I couldn't not write about the book, and  also couldn't drag my sorry self to get my laptop. Normal service will resume soon, promise.