The stars are my thoughts not made into a constellation. Heaven needed an angel and the universe sends signals cos it wants to be noticed. The quotes and revelations in this book, The Fault in Our Stars, is gripping.

For a layman like me who didn’t study literature and didn’t understand the references made by Van Houten or the poems spoken by Hazel and Gus, this book was an opening into my soul that there is a world out there filled with great minds and poets who could bring economics into a new light. There is a side of cancer that is put in a narcissistic yet humorous way. It is plain and simple to understand that cancer is a side effect of life and not life itself.

Having an aunt who went through the rigorous treatment of this side effect only made me understand the nitty-gritties of their life mission as opposed to normal people leading a life of certainty with a schedule. Being a healthy person & a huge believer of appreciating the small things around you, the connection with the book and its characters (Hazel & Gus) is made instantly, like they were regular teenagers who were probably born in the 18th century to be so matured and well learned. It was like watching the movie Juno.

‘The universe rewards intelligence because it enjoys its elegance being observed’. This thought made me realize that the universe is a separate entity waiting to be discovered. Every person believes in the superstitions that has worked for them at least once. I believe that the universe has a way of kicking you in your gut, making you cry when you’ve had a good day of laughter and fun. “Touch wood” and other such words are made for a reason to believe that these are the rays of hope that a higher power exists. Be it godly or spiritual. The universe is an empty space that when you look into the dark sky, it gives you answers you already know. But you purposely go into the dark space or bright lights to accept and acknowledge your decision with the universe.

Pain is overrated by those who don’t feel it. What is real pain? The side effect or the emotional breakdown of the side effect? Does the role change from time to time of being the sufferer and the sufferee? Good days vs. the bad ones.

I waited a whole day to finish reading the last few pages at a time when I could write about this. Ended up in a coffee shop on a laughter riot with a friend who could only talk about the conspiracies and also heard teenagers talking about coffee filters, Dubai and sunglasses. It made me think that everyone lives in their small world of fantasy.

All that Hazel wanted was the 4 torn pages of a book written by the love of her short life. Does one know what he/she wants and what extent will one go to get their voice heard and questions answered? This book puts you through a deep thinking process on how small your issues might look compared to the world, but also how important it is to deal with the issues you have.

A must read for anyone who is into understanding what cancer does to people and that life can go on with it as well.

Written by: Keertana Koduru