Review of Paper Towns by John Green
(Adventure/Sports/Mysteries/Westerns Category)
1. Green, J. (2008). Paper towns. New
York, NY: Dutton Books.
2. Plot Summary: Quentin, a high school
senior in Orlando, Florida, is four weeks away from graduation until the
mysterious disappearance of his neighbor and long-time crush, the quirky and
fascinating Margo Roth Spiegelman, occurs. This turns Quentin’s world inside
out, and clues begin to emerge that he believes are left only for him by Margo.
Many of the clues come from Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself” (Leaves of Grass, 1855) and from other
little bread crumbs she leaves behind. Margo’s parents have pretty much washed
their hands of their daughter’s unpredictable behavior, so Quentin feels as
though he must seek Margo out.
Margo has always
loved a good mystery, and when she and Quentin were nine, they discovered
something together that began her mystery seeking days. Margo disappears the
night after she comes to Quentin’s window dressed like a ninja, all in black,
telling him they are going on an all night adventure. After their all-nighter
of breaking, entering, spray painting, and other shenanigans, Margo is not at
school the next morning. Quentin becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, and
with the help of some friends, Radar, Ben, and Lacey, he hopes to find where
Margo is by taking a long road trip. However, figuring out who Margo Roth
Spiegelman really is as a person turns out to be the most difficult mystery to
solve of all.
3. Critical Analysis: John Green has created a jam-packed story
filled with adventure, unrequited love, and mystery. He combines quirky wit,
humor, mysterious clues, and friendships to draw the young adult (and adult)
reader in. School Library Journal
writes in a review, “Green’s prose is astounding – from hilarious,
hyperintellectual trash talk and shtick, to complex philosophizing, to
devastating observation and truths. He nails it – exactly how a thing feels,
looks, affects – page after page.” Paper
Towns is extremely intelligent, and the reader will be able to tell an
extremely intelligent man wrote it. I found myself rereading certain quotations
and portions, such as “What a treacherous thing to believe that a person is
more than a person,” (p. 282), as stated by Quentin, the protagonist of the
novel. John Green, who also wrote A Fault
in Our Stars, is well known for his phrasing and profound quotes that stick
with the reader long after the book has been read. (I have already been looking
for t-shirts with my favorite quotations from this book!) I did find myself
thinking often, “High school seniors don’t normally talk to each other this way…”
So, be aware that the teen characters that Green has created are pretty smart,
but the pure emotion of the novel and the sincerity with which it is written
makes the smart, snarky dialogue effective when considering the tone and mood
that the author is creating throughout the story.
The characters’
voices and personalities are truly developed more in their dialogue and
interactions with each other more so than their actions, with the exception of
maybe Margo. She seems to be more of a one-dimensional, static character, but
as a reader, I felt this was necessary and done on purpose by the author. After
all, she is supposed to be a mystery, and John Green does a phenomenal job of
keeping her that way. Quentin’s friends, Radar and “Bloody” Ben, are the
perfect support system to add more dimensions to Q’s semi-dimensional
characteristics. Quentin is depicted as the high school senior who feels very
detached from “all this
high-school-is-ending-so-we-have-to-reveal-that-deep-down-we-all-love-everybody-bulls***”
(p. 181). This makes him all the more typical but funny and very realistic.
A Booklist, starred review, states, “There
are echoes of Green’s award-winning Looking
for Alaska (2005): a lovely, eccentric girl; a mystery that begs to be
solved by clever, quirky teens; and telling quotations beautifully integrated
into the plot. Yet, if anything, the thematic stakes are higher here, as Green
ponders the interconnectedness of imagination and perception, of mirrors and
windows, of illusion and reality.” That
snippet of a review really digs into the heart of Paper Towns. It is accurate to say that this novel has several
features and aspects within it that are like Looking for Alaska (2005); however, the heart of the novel is
extremely interpretive and definitely in the eye of the beholder. Many themes
can be taken away from the novel, so readers of all ages and backgrounds will
be able to relate to various aspects.
The novel is
divided into three sections with several chapters in each section. The chapters
are about ten pages or less, which makes it easy for the reader to take breaks
and reflect on the reading. This book is enjoyable, for sure, but it offers
many opportunities for reflection. By introducing the reader to or reminding
them of Whitman’s poetry in Leaves of
Grass, and specifically the poem, “Song of Myself,” the reader is able to
connect life to literature and literature to literature. This novel is
excellent for just a leisurely read, but it would also be an excellent novel to
use in a high school English class. This novel is suitable for grades nine
through twelve and up due to some sexual and alcohol references and situations.
The symbolism of
the road trip is certainly thought provoking, and even if the reader does not
make a deeper connection to the hunt for Margo and the clues to the teens
taking the road trip, the central message will not be lost. A review from the Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books,
starred review, writes, “A suspenseful mystery, a compelling metaphor, and
one of those road trips that every senior hopes he or she will have round out
this exploration of the kind of relationship that can’t help but teach us a
little bit about ourselves.” This novel is about
the discovery of the self, and the major underlying theme is that the depths of
a person aren’t always seen on the surface and may be different than originally
percieved. I certainly did learn something about myself and the human
condition, even if that sounds a little cheesy or cliché. Paper Towns is truly one of those stories that will stick with me
for a very, very long time.
References
Amazon.com, Ink. (2014). Book jacket of
paper towns by john green. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from
http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FPaper-Towns-John-Green%2Fdp%2F014241493X%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1405112731%26sr%3D8-1%26keywords%3Dpaper%2Btowns
Cart, M. (2008, October). Review of paper
towns by John Green [Review of a novel paper towns]. Booklist, starred
review. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://booklistonline.com
Green,
J. (2005). Looking for Alaska. New
York, NY: Dutton Books.
Green,
J. (2008). Paper towns. New York, NY: Dutton Books.
Green,
J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York: Dutton Books.
Lewis, J. (2008). Review of paper towns
by John Green [Review of a novel paper towns]. School Library
Journal, Starred Review. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://slj.com
Review of paper towns by John Green
[Review of a novel paper towns]. (2008). The Bulletin of the Center
for Children's Books. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu
Whitman, W. (1855). “Song of myself.” In Leaves
of grass. New York, NY: Garland Publishing.
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