Review: "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
There is so much to love about Looking for Alaska, yet when I set the book back on my shelf I couldn’t work out where I stood with it.
Miles “Pudge” Halter is looking for The Great Perhaps after living his life in the shadows. His great adventure leads him to Alaska Young, a gorgeous, clever, self-destructive teenager with whom he falls in love.
If you have read my review of The Fault in Our Stars you will know that I really can’t sing John Green’s praises enough, and he doesn’t disappoint in Looking for Alaska. When it comes to young adult literature, Green has it mastered. This book is another lesson in the art of treating the young adult reader as an intellectual equal, and, in doing so, attracting an older audience.
However, despite my undying belief that Green’s books are top notch in the way they talk to the reader, I can’t find myself falling in love with this story the same way. And that really breaks my heart. I’m being overly dramatic, and probably too harsh on this book, because it isn’t a terrible story, but I began reading it with such high expectations after reading The Fault in Our Stars, and this just did not live up to them. I think I was expecting to read this novel and build an emotional attachment to its characters just as I had done with The Fault in Our Stars—this did not happen.
Alaska Young is the central pivot on which this novel is poised. One of my favourite things about Looking for Alaska is the Before and After structure—a structure that shows Mile’s journey to his Great Perhaps and his dealing with it after. And what is his Great Perhaps? The real question is whom? Alaska Young. The novel is centred on Mile’s relationship with Alaska, which makes her an integral part of the plot. Therein lies my problem with the story: I do not connect with Alaska Young.
The whole point of Alaska is that she is mysterious and flawed. This did not translate for me. All I saw was a smart female character being depicted as a feminist, avid reader, and destructive. This wound me right the way up—but I’m not here to discuss my views on that topic. I understand what Green was trying to achieve with Alaska Young, but I missed the memo at some point because it didn’t connect with me, and as a result the story didn’t connect either.
Much like the books structure, I felt like I, too, was caught in a Before and After: before and after I became an adult. I felt like I would have appreciated the story and its characters (read: Alaska) better BEFORE because I am a changed person AFTER.
While I struggled to connect with the plot, the analytical side of me had a field day with this novel: it is a playground of clever literary techniques. Mile’s obsession with famous last words and the allusion to historic figures highlighted his struggle for individuality by living in the past—living his own life would mean living in the present. The countdown to “the event” is a clever technique to build a sense of anticipation—even if I did see it coming a mile off.
Once again, I cannot fault how John Green is able to approach real life issues in a way that is honest and philosophical. Yet in the midst of so much philosophy and angst, Green manages to create an innocence I wasn’t expecting, particularly when Alaska discusses her mother’s death, and The Colonel’s innocent determination to make a better life.
As a piece of literature, I think Looking for Alaska is a work of art. However, while I loved the approach to the story, the story itself left a lot to be desired.
