When I think of turtles, my mind goes to Sea Isle City, NJ. Why? Well, each year I visit, I see a turtle, they have signs about turtles crossing the road, and my cousin is a turtle whisperer. I realize these are not the turtles John Green had in mind, so I digress.
Book Read: Turtles All The Way Down
Author: John Green
Number of Books Read: 10
Technically, this is a “young adult” novel. I had to venture to the kids’ section in my library to find it. But John Green writes great books, so it worked out well. Although, when I read a small section about dick pics, I wondered if it was in the right section. Oh, how times have changed since I was sixteen.
Known for The Fault in Our Stars, Green returns with Turtles All the Way Down, a novel about teenage love, figuring out who you are, and life-long friendship.
Main character Aza has thoughts, a lot of them, all spiraling together. Being a sixteen year old girl is tough, but being Aza is even tougher, especially when anxiety takes over. When her best friend Daisy becomes interested in investigating the mysterious disappearance of a fugitive billionaire, Aza’s life and thoughts are thrown for a spin.
Investigating this mystery leads to a rekindled friendship with a young man, Davis, who has to deal with a lot more than any teenager should. Davis leads to thoughts about the microprobes that transfer mouths when kissing (never have thought of this until reading this book), leading to more spirals and an obsession with a clean mouth. Involved in Aza’s story is a falling out and rekindling of a friendship, Star Wars fan fiction, a tuatara who may inherit a fortune, anxiety, and an underground art show that leads to the answers everyone has been looking for.
After an event puts Aza’s life in risk, she learns to appreciate a life-long friendship, to speak up instead of just listening, to ask questions, and most importantly, to love herself.
Whether you are a young adult, or just a regular adult, you’ll enjoy this book. Like his other novels, Green presents sorrow with quirkiness, maturing while still remembering to be a kid, and that it is completely okay to be not okay.
Oh yeah… good news. While I almost cried reading The Fault in Our Stars, no “almost” tears were shed when reading Turtles All The Way Down.
Next Read: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
