Paper Towns: Navigating Treacherous Feelings

Many of John Green's novels took the world by storm in the early 2000's, but Paper Towns has always had a special place in my heart. The story follows timid Quentin Jacobsen as he learns to burst out of his shell and appreciate life for all that it is worth.

Writing Style

This novel is written in the typical engaging style of John Green. The writing style gears towards teens, with a simple style that immerses readers into the story, wanting to know what happens next.

Plot

Quentin goes on an exciting journey with his friends in order to track down Margo. Through this experience, he realizes that he's been searching for someone to make his life into a fairytale when in reality he's had everything he needs all along. His friends were the ones sticking with him and making him laugh throughout the whole story. Once he learned how to live in the moment and appreciate everything he had, everything became brighter.

Characters

Quentin spends the novel pining after his childhood friend, but he eventually realizes that there is so much more to life. Margo serves as a mysterious girl that Quentin wishes for, but in the end they are able to see each other clearly for what they are, normal people. It is easy to connect with Quentin's blind hope and awkward nature throughout the novel. The use of such a relatable character to navigate the world allows readers to easily connect with the content.

This story contains an important life lesson that can best be explained with Quentin's revelation, "What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person." With hilarious adventures and relatable characters, readers will fly through the pages of this novel. John Green's books do make use of common tropes from the early 2000's, so if you are tired of those then this book may not be for you. However, in my opinion it is a fun, nostalgic read that I will continue to reread for years to come. Have you read any John Green novels? If so, which one was your favorite?