Looking for Alaska by John Green

Reviewed by Gabi Bergman

“You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking how you'll escape one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”
Enter the very boring life of 16 year old Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter. No girls, no friends, nothing exciting happening. And his fascination with last words doesn’t really help that. Unusual, tall, incredibly thin and quite nerdy too, Miles doesn’t feel like he fits in.
That all changes when he moves to a school in Alabama. It’s very different to what he’s used to. First of all, it’s too hot, and he’s not used to the types of people he encounters.
There’s Alaska Young, a very unique, secretive and cryptic girl, Chip “The Colonel” and Takumi, also very odd and remarkable figures. Pudge is intrigued by Alaska and her obscure monologues, as well as her beauty and intelligence. Amidst peer pressure, alcohol and pranks, the group became very close. And Pudge falls in love.
Miles’ idyllic existence crumbles to pieces when a tragedy occurs. Words are left regrettably unspoken.
Looking for Alaska is a brilliantly written novel. It’s as a countdown to the climax of the story, and then progresses into the period of time after it. Written in two parts, a “before” and “after” the main event, the story of Miles is focused around a central catastrophe, impacting all the characters’ lives.
John Green, the author, has portrayed each individual character uniquely, with their own talents and features. Alaska is a very smart, beautiful girl, but she has a dark side to her that you find out through the duration of the book. The story is full of the twists and turns, experiences to be had and the struggles that adolescences face as they grow up. The motif of the ‘labyrinth’ is repeated several times. It is used as a metaphor for life as Alaska explains life’s journey.
I think this book would appeal to people who enjoy humorous yet serious books. Part mystery, part humor and part romance, this story has its highlights and its lowlights, but is overall very enjoyable to read. I’d recommend this book to slightly mature readers, considering some of the themes involved.
Overall, it was a thrilling read, and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Even if it’s re-read, the book is still just as enthralling as it was the first time. A 10/10.