Remember a few years ago when The Fault in Our Stars came out and John Green and his novel became a worldwide sensation? Then the movie adaptation of the book came out and teenagers all over the world went wild and even more people were prompted to go and read The Fault in Our Stars. It was one of those literary
moments when a book suddenly takes the world by storm and it is all one hears about for weeks or months. Usually, this is a good thing, for the book, for the author, and sometimes, for literature itself. However, sometimes, such fame being assigned to a single book in an author’s oeuvre can be a bad thing in the way one book can eclipse all the other books written by the author, even when the not-so-famous books are sometimes better than the one accruing all the attention. Paper Towns, first published in 2008, is lesser known than The Fault in Our Stars, with a lesser known film adaptation. However, in some ways, it is a superior book to The Fault in Our Stars and it is more than worthy of a read, especially for those interested in YA fiction.
The novel focuses on a teenager named Quentin and his childhood friend, Margo. As the years pass, Quentin and Margo grow distant from each other and their friendship wanes. One night, however, Margo suddenly turns up at his house, climbs through his bedroom and persuades Quentin to join her in performing light acts of revenge on the people who have hurt her through her high school life. The night goes well for the two of them and the sense of the old friendship that they once had is felt again. Quentin becomes hopeful, but then, by the next morning, we learn that Margo has vanished and Quentin is left with many, many questions and what he believes is a clue that will lead him to find Margo once more.
The book works well because it caters to the young adult audience it was written for. All the necessary themes and ideas are in place and are presented in a non-clichéd manner while being wrapped up in layers and layers of emotion. How many people were once close friends with someone during their childhood days and now when they see the same person, so many years later, it is as if they see a complete stranger? How many people have been in love with someone for a great long time only to find out in the end that the image that they had of that person was nothing more than a façade, unreal and idealistic? How many people complain about others being “fake” when they themselves wear several masks in order to protect and/or hide who they are at the core? If you are one such person, then Paper Towns is for you.
The novel is refreshing and more important now, because of its wholesomeness and original and accurate representations of young love and heartache and the teenage experience. Sure, when one thinks of YA novels, lots of post-apocalyptic fiction comes to mind but, if not anything else, John Green reminds us of what it feels like to be young and he reminds us of what it feels like to experience a gamut of emotions, and books such as Paper Towns should be adored and respected and read, at least in between all the blood-splattered and gore-filled works of literature that young people seem to prefer. Give Paper Towns a try.
