Turtles All The Way Down: Review

So this is my first read after a VERY long slump which only consisted of only reading for my honors reading class. *sarcastic voice* Fun. Turtles All The Way Down was recommended by...well...everyone, and I admit I went in with VERY high expectations. Especially since I've never read John Green before, and he is basically King of Romantic Contemporaries and Destroyer of Readers' Souls and all that fun stuff. So I went in expecting to be rocked. Instead I was...not. My rating? 3 and a half stars

       Hold your cries for me to be crucified please, and let me state my case. I'll start with my Pros and Cons list and then elaborate on the cons.

Pros

• The writing was poetic and interesting
• The romantic relationship was open, honest, and really sweet, honestly. Not typical
• He knew his main character REALLY well. No questions as to what Aza was like or how she thought. It was crazy how easy it was to feel like you ARE the MC.
• I was really experiencing what it felt to be inside Aza's head, which, while mildly uncomfortable, is an AMAZING thing. I was anxious myself for like 93.99847% of the book.
• Aza's mom? Yes.
• The ending was that sort of bittersweet that is just right for the feel of the story

Cons

• It could be confusing at times, with all the medical talk, especially at the beginning.
• I felt like the other characters weren't characters....they were just...there. I had no idea what they were thinking, other than Daisy sometimes. I only really had any idea as to what Aza was like, how she felt.
• The actual scene to scene writing wasn't always as vivid as I hoped it would be. The thoughts of the MC? Clear as crystal. What has happening? Not so much.
• There was a sustainable amount of cursing, which, I as a person do not approve of.
• The book took on a very hopeless and...well...hopeless look at the world. I am aware that is the author's viewpoint and his beliefs, but since I don't agree, it is a con for me. He painted everything in the sort of humanistic, drab way that makes it look as if we are no more important than specks of dust in the universe. Aza had no hope. She had nothing to make her feel important. That was frustrating for me.

Let me elaborate a bit. The book was very well written. John Green knows how to write and how to get his readers deep into the book. Just as a piece of writing, it was spectacular. To me it was the message that turned me off. I know there is no magic cure all for mental illnesses. I know that she wasn't going to wake up one day and be alright. But for me, it was frustrating not to see some sort of....hope is the only word for it really, in Aza's life. She felt like she had no control, and as a Christian, I know we do have control. We have free will. Getting over her mental issues is not an issue of will, however, I know that. But I would have liked to see her put some effort in. I can't reveal more, and fear give spoilers, but there are some moments in the book when Aza purposefully does not help herself. And the author did not do much to give her any HOPE. That's the key word. Hope. All humans need hope. In whatever they face. Whether a book ends happily, sadly, or bittersweet, all good books should end with even just a smidge of hope. Because life is not an endless spiral. There is a point. And here I bring in my faith.

       The point of life is God. The point is that no, our beliefs do not 'hollow us out, until all we are is whatever we believe will save us'.  My belief in God is what gives me hope. Gives me control. Without him, my own anxious thoughts would take over. He is hope. He is Love. I am not nothing. I am not bacteria. I am a child of a living God, who loves me. I am important. I am real.

    And so are you. So would Aza be if she was not a fictional character. So is everyone in this world. Hope is important. There's so much darkness in this world already. Writing should be a way to give some light, not add more darkness. Let's give faith, love. Let's give hope with our writing.

-Kit💝