The Fault In Our Stars

"Some infinities are bigger than other infinites." What a quote to ponder. Some infinites last lifetimes, and then there are some infinities that only last awhile. When contemplating what to read next I gravitated back to a book I have loved for years, The Fault In Our Stars. I read this book previously before the movie was released. I remember vividly laying in bed finishing this book sobbing into the pages. It is written so beautifully, yet so tragic.
John Green wrote the first book I posted about, Turtles All The Way Down, and much like that novel, this one is based in Indianapolis as well. He mentions the Castleton Mall that I have frequented many times. John Green knows how to pull at your heart strings, and he does it many times throughout this novel. Hazel is a teenager, but she also has cancer. She has been sick for years, but finally she is pretty healthy at the beginning of the book. Her mother drops her off at her cancer support group, and this is where she meets the lovely Augustus Waters. Gus had cancer in his leg, which was amputated. As the story progresses we see Gus pursuing Hazel, but she tries to push him off due to being afraid of hurting him. It does not take long for her to succumb to her feelings and fall madly in love with Gus.
Cancer is such a horrible process, but once you start bringing children into it, it becomes even worse. Taking a deeper look at Hazel you can see how her disease has affected her. She is afraid to let anyone in because she is afraid she will die. She is afraid for her parents, and what their lives will look like after her. She is afraid that if Gus falls in love with her, he will never move on. The truly tragic thing about this entire story is the fact that Gus's cancer comes back. He does not tell Hazel right away, and he lets them enjoy this amazing trip to Amsterdam to meet Hazel's favorite author. This is not something you see coming, and you feel like you want to find John Green personally and throw this book at his head. Eventually Gus dies, but before he does he insists on attending his own funeral. This is my personal favorite chapter in the book. Between ugly tears I can understand what "Some infinites are bigger than other infinites." actually means. The time that Gus and Hazel got to spend together may not of been long, but for them it was an infinity. The love they had for each other was strong, brave, and resilient. While Gus may be gone, Hazel still has love for him that will last for an infinity. I love this book because it is such an emotional read, but also an easy read. I reread the entire book in less than a day.