Lost in a Good Book

Published: October 16, 2008
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 236
Format: Book
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun – but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

I liked this book, I really did. For me it was something so very different and peculiar, yet very emotional without possibly intending to be. This is the story of Colin Singleton, a former child prodigy who is now desperate to stop the pain of being dumped by Katherine XIX and to find a way to matter.

To try and recover from being dumped, Colin and his friend Hassan go on a road trip, which ends shortly after in Gutshot Tennessee after a quest to see the Archduke Franz Ferdinand leads them to Lindsey, Hollis, and a town intriguing enough to stay in. The story is in their time there, something I won’t delve too much in, you have to go on it yourself, there is too much and too little to actually describe to make it not just a simple plot breakdown. I know this book is not a favourite by a few people, but I see that as the same reasons why I loved it. There is a lot of judgement at face value, and either a misunderstanding, misinterpretation, or simple inability to understand Colin as a character that people couldn’t connect with.

As a character there is an awkwardness about Colin; he is slightly too quick to judge, but not necessarily in a harsh way, almost logically based on what is presented to him. Though he is not against changing his opinions, he just needs cause to do so. We see through the story histories and flashbacks that this is who Colin has always been, and the struggle Colin has in being who he is can be insightful. He apologises when he is called out on displaying knowledge, that is a bit depressing, but there is enough in Colin’s straightforward character to know he is not too worried. This is the starting point of his character, a place we get to see change begin, in all the right areas but also not too much.

There is a deep thread of intellect in this entire story, and especially through its characters, but not in a way that feels forced. The knowledge and intellect that are displayed fit perfectly with each character and with who they are as people, and as young adults. Whether this seems pretentious to some, I took as being an excellent addition of a story and new approach to characters.

Also the use of footnotes was a new thing I had not seen in a fiction book before and I thought they were an excellent addition, they didn’t distract from the flow of the story or reading at all, often they were additional thoughts regarding Colin, or an explanation of terms and translations, or simply extra commentary. Their role was to add a little bit extra to the story and do what footnotes are designed to do, hold important information but do not need to be in the main body of work. There are also graphs, but these are woven into the story a bit more than the footnotes, they have narrative purpose, but are nonetheless just as intriguing.

John Green as an author likes to give his characters uniqueness about them, whether it is loving an abundance of Katherines and making anagrams, or, like in Looking For Alaska, it is knowing famous people’s last words. What he puts into his characters gives them uniqueness, a quirk that is not something that is obvious and makes them stand out, but it is just like reality, we all have a strange thing we enjoy, and that is just who we are and what we do.

I often find it interesting about people’s relationships in books. Colin’s friend Hassan continuously tells Colin that what he says and knows is not interesting and no one wants to hear it, but the thing is, I actually do. I am interested that Niko Telsa’s hair stood on end for a week after 50000 currents went through his body. That is interesting to know. I do not understand why people do not like to know things. How is knowing things about the past and the world around you uninteresting, even if they are trivial? Why is it such a bad thing to find things interesting? Niko Telsa, the pigeon lover, is interesting.

The sad thing I found is that Colin listens to his friend Hassan where he shouldn’t, and other times he ignores him when he shouldn’t. Just because Hassan thinks Colin shouldn’t be something, doesn’t mean he should try and change it, however there are some aspects of Colin that need improving so it can be complicated. Hassan himself has his own flaws, everyone has their own flaws, this is not an ideal world with magic and perfection, it is a representation of life. Colin is a failed prodigy, unable to figure out what he is doing, what life is about, and what he should be doing with his time. Hassan on the other side is obsessed with Judge Judy, is one of those friends who seemingly bullies his friend and makes it seem like a joke, and he is too is looking for something to do with his life, even if it is in a less scientific way than Colin.

I’d almost say it is not exactly a coming of age story, in the same way that it is. Colin is essentially lost, he does the metaphorical and physical (albeit relatively short) road trip to find answers, and in doing so he learns about himself. The people Colin and Hassan meet influence them, as does the events they get embroiled in, but all the while Colin continues to find his way to matter. The idea of trying to prevent others from being in the same dumped situation he begins working on trying to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship by using the information from his failed relationships.

But despite being set up this way, there is a lot more to this story. Green has not made it the lifetime adventure or two friends who are off to see the world. They always seem to be wandering and looking for something, even when they are not travelling; and when opportunities come you can clearly see the cracks, and the desires to change who they are. The people they meet influence them and offer outside perspectives on who they think they are and perceive themselves to be, while offering a chance to step outside their comfort zones, whether it is for the better or not is almost irrelevant. That is part of a coming of age story, right?

As for the Katherine’s, we are given a less than chronological history of Colin’s past relationships with Katherine 1 through 19 in this story, and all the while we see how they all played out and how it affected Colin and his desire for the Theorem. What Green has done rather well is he introduces us to information, and either in footnotes or through dialogue he essentially tells us that it will all be explained in the end. We are given references and clues, or mentions of the Katherine’s past, and we must read on to see the connections, where these references originate, and why they are important. This is the case not just for the Katherines, but for other information as well.

The characters certainly drive this story, you see how they grow and interact with their surroundings, and with not a lot going on in Gutshot, there is a lot of value placed in the people within the town. This helps because you really get to see the characters as they are, who they are around other people, and who they are desperately trying to be without the weight of an intense and dramatic scene overshadowing those involved. Surely that is the magical part in this story, no matter who you are, everyone tries to be somebody else at some stage before realising that being who they are is just fine.

I know some people say that this is the least impressive John Green book, but I don’t think this is so, the books are all so separate from one another, and trying to compare them is not going to work. These are not works in the same world with the same characters, they are their own stories, and I would certainly not expect to compare a story against another simply because the other was better. Why would Katherines be worse just because it is not like Alaska? This is flawed thinking. As its own book it is what it is, and I enjoyed it. Comparisons are inevitable of course, but see it for what it is, not because of what it isn’t.

I think you should read this book, and even if you don’t like it, dislike it for what is it, not for what it isn’t. Though if you get nothing else from this book, something it does do is make Pi look easy enough to remember if you’re committed enough; I have only been able to get to six decimals, that’s my achievement, it seems I should be able to do more.

Published: December 28th 2006
Publisher: Penguin Group
Pages: 256
Format: Book
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter’s whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
After. Nothing is ever the same.

What do you say about a beautiful book that touches your soul so much that you feel debriefing and reviewing it takes away the magic? I have finished books I adored and rushed to review, eager to share all the emotions and brilliance and get it out before it consumed me. With Alaska, I took a lot of pleasure just sitting and thinking about this book once I had finished. I could not find the words to explain each wonderful aspect of it that moved me, or made me think about life, and this emotion was why it has been so hard to put this book into words. I have a page of notes that I wrote whilst I read, but they will hardly do it justice. So before we get into it talking about why you should read it, I will simply insist that you must.

I finished Looking For Alaska in four hours, I also finished one day ago, yet I can still see it so clearly in my mind, feel the characters, and feel the power and impact that friendship, fitting in, and being yourself can have on a single person and an entire community. This is Looking for Alaska.

Written in 2005 this is John Green’s debut novel. I know The Fault in the Stars is the current big deal, but I do not want his early works being forgotten either. Every sentence almost is deep and profound, even when it probably isn’t meaning to be. John Green has a way with words that makes the simplest and most innocent things have so much significance. There is a kind of poetry with the similes John uses that make your mind boggle, and there are discussions and references to literature which are masterful and jovial at the same time. John writes this book for teenagers but he does not treat them as children, and he does not underestimate their ability to think critically, or to appreciate the grandest and simplest aspects of life.

The story begins with Miles, and Miles is a normal teenage. The problem for Miles is he needs an escape. He has no friends, a dull life, and a desire inspired by poet Francois Rabelais to search for his own Great Perhaps. Miles leaves behind his ordinary and noneventful life and enters into the world of boarding school and into a chaotic exhilaration; though despite his desire for a fresh start, there is no instant change as Miles is still trying to find his place in the world. I think that by watching Miles adjust, and ponder the workings of himself and those around him that we get some wonderful insights; not only about school and the kinds of people are and pretend to be, but also about Miles, and by association, about ourselves.

The entire book has Miles trying to figure out who he is and what it all means, but with friends like the Colonel, and the utterly fascinating Alaska, Miles becomes Pudge, his life becomes an adventure of risk, new experiences, and relationships he never could have imagined. He takes responsibility and changes his own life for himself, but there is always a part of the old Miles lingering, something I think is very true of a lot of people. Change can be as different on the outside, but left alone with your thoughts you can be a completely different person on the inside. Something I think John has demonstrated wonderfully.

What I do adore is the amount of research that John clearly has put into this book. This was not an overnight thing, he worked on this for years and it shows, in every tiny detail and reference. From Melville’s white whale, to the Labyrinth, to the classroom discussions on religion, to the intricate details of the boarding school grounds; John has put thought and planning into this marvellous story and there is a true sense of respect for the reader. He offers you secrets and the way he has told this story you are actually ok if they are not exactly answered, not everything needs a conclusion.

This book was under threat of being banned in a school in America, luckily the fight to allow it won because I just cannot imagine people being forbidden to read this book. You can learn so much about yourself, even if you are past your schooling years, it will not matter; there are parts of Pudge, parts of Miles, parts of Alaska and parts of everyone else in this book in all of us I assure you.

A small part of me feels this review is not doing this book the justice I feel it deserves, there is just so much taken from this than cannot be explained in a review. If it is not Pudge and his affection for famous last words; if it isn’t Alaska’s extremeness, fierce loyalty, and personal library; if it isn’t the Colonel’s antics and friendship; and if it isn’t the simple fact it is a story about a group of teenagers just trying to find their way in the world, then I do not know what it is. I will say that I hope, like me, that once you have finished this book and you sit back and reflect on it you will love it a little bit more each time. I know initial feelings and emotions of books fade, but then there are those books where they don’t. This is one of those books.

You can purchase Looking For Alaska via the following

Amazon

Bookworld

Booktopia

Barnes and Noble

QBD

Angus and Robertson

A lot of anywhere else really too