Book Blog #206: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Title: Turtle All the Way Down
Author: John Green
# of Pages: 286 (hardcover)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fiction
Rating:  ★★★★★
Synopsis: Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
Review: This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.

I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for John Green to publish a book following the big success he had with The Fault in Our Stars. Although I feared the book would not live up to my expectations, these worries were probably nothing compared to his own.

Luckily, Turtles All the Way Down far from disappoints.

“I can no more choose my thoughts than choose my name” - Aza, p.59

Green had me at page one. At first, I was skeptical of his writing style. The opening chapter included a long-winded account of her thoughts which came off as messy and unfocused. However, I soon realized that was the EXACTLY what Green was aiming for. Aza's struggle in dealing with invasive thoughts and anxiety reveals how difficult living a "normal" life can be with mental health issues. Her pain becomes the reader's pain; as Aza falls down into the spiral of her own thoughts, so will the reader.

My good lines are always stolen” Davis, p.145

Unlike Davis, Green's best lines are his own. Although not everyone will be able to relate to Aza, Green writes various philosophical ideas into the characters' dialogue that are beautifully, yet modernly worded. His writing style is an art form; it's captivating.

“The worst part of being truly alone is you think about all the times you wished that everyone would just leave you be. Then they do, and you are left being, and you turn out to be terrible company” (186).

The conflict Daisy has with Aza can be related to many different relationships other than theirs. Daisy knows Aza’s value as a friend, but struggles to deal with her friend’s anxiety and the impact it has on the normality of their friendship. The complexity of their relationship reflects difficulties people have with their own; both parties have blame to share. Daisy tries her best to be a supportive best friend but vents about Aza through her fan-fiction, which Aza sees as a betrayal. Although Aza should not be blamed for her anxiety and the various symptoms that come with it, it hurts Daisy that Aza can’t look out for her as much as she would like. Neither character is evil nor do they have evil intent in their unfavorable actions, but both are human and have their share of faults. This is part of what makes me love this book; the characters are REAL.

“Gravity differs from affection: Only one is constant” Davis, p.189

Since TFIOS did so well, I was expecting another love story. I was not entirely wrong, yet I was also not entirely right. Yes, a good portion of the book is concentrated around Davis and Aza's relationship. However, an almost equally large portion is focused on Aza and Daisy's friendship and the difficulties they have working out their differences. Life is not all about love, as many contemporary romance YA books like people to believe. There are many types of relationships that are complex in different ways: ones with friends, parents (or lack there of), siblings, etc. Green story explores many of these, making the story feel more real and meaningful.

“The madness of wealth. Sometimes you think you’re spending money, but all along the money’s spending you. But only if you worship it. You serve whatever you worship” (269).

Davis's father had immense wealth, which made it only natural for the topic of money and its influence. I recently wrote a paper for a project addressing a very similar topic: how money affects happiness. Green's message rings true; obsession with money can control you in the worst way possible. However, being wealthy does not automatically make a person greedy and misguided as long as the person does not let the money take over their lives.

“In real life, some things get better and some things get worse. And then eventually you die” p.276

Turtles All the Way Down is not entirely different from The Fault in Our Stars. The deromanticization of life is theme that can be seen in both books. In TFIOS, Green talks about how life ends abruptly, unlike stories that usually end with some closure of the chapter in the characters' lives. In Turtles All the Way Down, Green emphasizes how life before death is not like a typical story either; there may be ups and downs but there is no promised "happy ending," no guaranteed rising action, climax, and falling action. Life is just what happen before you die.

For John Green fans and non-John-Green fans alike: I recommend this book to you 100%.