Turtles All The Way Down

Summary:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred thousand dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett's son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

Prelude:

As I said in my Atlantis Book Store blog, I'm doing a book blog of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green. I chose this while at Atlantic because it's by John Green and every John Green book I've read has been pretty good. I've read The Fault In Our Stars in 7th grade, Paper Towns in 8th grade (and 9th grade), and I was going to read Looking for Alaska in 6th grade but I could never got a copy so maybe someday I'll read it. Point is I have experience with John Green's books and he seems like a pretty chill dude from what I've seen so supporting him was no problem. I read the book for the rest of the vacation and continued it on the plane ride home, where I watched the Peanuts Movie and in all honesty that might be one of the best movies i have ever watched. After the plane ride I read at home and on commute and I finished it a little later than I would've liked because of school work but it's all good I have my review here and I'm ready to talk.

Review:

John Green is a very human author and I feel that's why I want to keep going back to more from him. His stories feel real and that's one of Green's greatest strengths right after being a smart writer. In Turtles All The Way Down the main character Aza (if my research is correct) OCD and it can get hard to read at times. Many moments in the story where she's literally fighting herself or these thoughts that invade her brain. In detrimental moments the thoughts invading her and her own thoughts are seperate and it's as if she's not the same as her OCD but sort of like two people sharing a body. I'm not entirely sure how OCD works but Green himself struggled with it in the past and for him to write a book this personal about something he's experienced is a pretty bold move. I felt pretty connected to Aza's character as sometimes she does things she knows she shouldn't do but does them anyways and to see someone go into that spiral hurts. It hurt to read that happening and often times I just wanted to reach out and give her a hug because those struggles of hers ran deep and she wanted out but couldn't. When a certain part happened in the book with Aza and Daizy and Aza went to go check something but it wasn't how she had it previously and she started crying broke me. It made me teary eyed and that rarely ever happens in books. Something about her character and so many other characters gave me emotions and man it's beautiful. Aza hearing the turtles all the way explanation and having something click inside her head made me genuinely happy. I wanted to see her succeed and I felt attached by the end of the novel. This is only one character of course but Green did a greatjob of having a character and making them feel human in a way that makes you feel for them in his stories.

The supporting characters in this novel are great as well and all have personality and flavor. I really liked Daizy and Aza's relationship and how it feels like a relationship that would take place in our regular world. How one of them does the talking and the other does the listening and they just kind of flow together. I've had a friendship like that and it was cool to see that represented on paper. However, Daizy as her own character is pretty boss. I like how she found it easier to speak her mind to Aza towards the end of the novel contrsasting from earlier in the novel when she just wouldn't say anything and she would keep her feelings towards Aza to herself or in other semi-unhealthy ways (her serious ones anyways). Other characters are amazing as well such as Aza's mom, Davis Jr., Davis Sr., Noah, Dr. Singh, and even Tuatara. First off, Noah is a sad character. He's a major character who doesn't talk much but his actions definitely speak louder than his words. Seeing him express himself more and more throughout the novel really made him feel fleshed out and not just a way to move along the plot. Davis Jr. is pretty cool and the respectable character. Both him and Aza had me in my feelings regarding their progression throughout the story and I'm sure that anyone reading this book will find a way to connect with him. I found the way he chose to trust others interesting and how supportive he was. Davis Jr. is a person who I'd want to be my friend but the same can't be said for Davis Sr. We never really got his side of the story but man how I disliked Davis Sr. I won't criticize him too much since his side of the story was never told but he seemed like a not-so-good person to everyone around him so when an event took place I didn't really feel bad. Dr. Singh has a pretty good role in the story and I really like her. She was always in at the right times and never overstayed her welcome. A lot of the characters were great from Aza's mom to the tuatara, who might just be the heart of the novel.

While the characters of this novel is amazing I feel the plot is just as good if not even better. The flow of the novel was very organic and the pacing never felt off. In some areas I questioned how far time jumped but it was pretty much just my nit picky self and of no real fault of Green. However, back on to the plot it was pretty good. To be honest, when picking up the book I thought it was going to be a mystery but I was a little wrong. Mystery is still an element however, this book is not at its core a mystery novel. I believe it's one of growing up or really just a more complex coming of age story, except it's not too centered on the school accept and more so on the characters themselves. So while it isn't what I expected it was still great nonetheless. I came out of this book happy and that's because the plot didn't carry the characters, the characters carried the plot and I feel that's what a lot of books nowadays don't get right. Many books lately doesn't focus on what really matters the most, the characters, or in this case the people. This novel is special to me. Not only because I got it from Atlantis (peep the last post) but because it made me feel. It made me hopeful, hopeful that I wouldn't succumb to my own fears but instead I will grow and fight past them. This book is different because I came out of it wanting to be different. Wanting to be stronger. Wanting to be a better person.

I await your fanfiction...

#johngreen #yanovels #MysteryYAnovels #romance #turtlesallthewaydown