REVIEW: "Looking for Alaska"

SYNOPSIS:

“Before: Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After: Nothing is ever the same.”

Credits to Goodreads.com

REVIEW:

With  Looking for Alaska, published in 2005, American award-winning author John Green presents another best-seller that follows the footsteps of the acclaimed The Fault in Our Stars. Miles, a 16 year-old that enters a boarding school is the main character and narrator and tells the reader how his life changes when he meets Alaska Young, a quite unconventional girl.

Looking for Alaska is divided in two parts: “Before” and “After”, both parts separated by a horrible event that occurs halfway through the book.  Therefore, the reader encounters Miles 136 days before the climax of the novel, being a witness of a countdown.  The novel concludes 136 days after the event.

Personally, I think John Green always has an ace up his sleeve and that may be the reason why I love this author that much. He is able to surprise the reader suddenly and presents really humane stories, full of passion and emotion. Besides, his characters are unique, so it is really easy to have an instant connection with them.  

I read The Fault in Our Stars before I read this novel and I thought it was unsurpassable, so I didn´t expect to enjoy Looking for Alaska even more, but it was inevitable. I think what I enjoyed the most was the rough twist of the novel, as since the beginning of the book the reader knows that something is about to happen “After”.

To conclude, it is of great importance to point out the fact that Green introduces endearing characters, unique and different that meet almost by chance and that need to face the event that threatens to disrupt their peace. In addition, the reader is presented a tragic love and friendship story that keeps them on tenterhooks and an outstanding group of friends to remember forever.