Update: "The Faults in Our Stars" by John Green

**Kind of Spoilers...**

I love The Faults in Our Stars so far. The characters are unique and strong, realistic and lovable. I've liked all of John Green that I have read so far, and I realized something while reading Faults in Our Stars (hereby referred to as Faults). Green uses the same basic theme and building blocks for all his stories. It sure works too, as Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska are big hits.

The "John Green format" is as follows:

1) The Quirky Characters-- the main characters of his books are usually ironic and cynical, kind at heart and down to earth, who have a lower social status. Their counterparts and free-spirited, quirky dreamers who don't care about what others think, who are popular or attractive. The chemistry between these two is so hot you could be physically be burned by them. And guess what- they fall in love!

2) The Adventure- there is always a manic adventure in Green's stories, usually, a search for someone. In Looking for Alaska, it was not necessarily a person, but the journey part still applies. This is maybe the bulk of the story, and often the most fast-paced part of the story.

3) The Loss- there is always a loss or disappointment at the end of Green's stories. It makes the story possibly even more quirky, veering away from the "happily ever after" story. It happened (kind of) in Looking for Alaska, and definitely in Paper Towns.

Don't get me wrong, I write this all out of pure admiration and love, because John Green is really talented young adult writer, and I love his stories. It works, and big enough change in characters and situations can still make the story fresh. It makes for a great read.

The format above is what leads me to believe that there will be a tragedy at the end of Faults. The whole story rotates around patients of cancer, and loss is a normal thing in their lives. They always know they're living on the edge of death and life. Because of Hazel, the main character's, situation, I believe that she will die at the end. Or, possibly, Augustus' cancer will return. This is a morbid theory, but I think it to be true.

One thing in Faults that bothers me so far is the way the characters deal with the tragedy in their lives. This is a really sensitive subject, and I have no experience in terminal illness, so I don't have any evidence. But I think that even though Hazel has been struggling with cancer for a couple years, I don't think she would be so oblivious of it. It changes you life forever, I know that much, and the way Green handles it, with wit and humor, though it makes for a good story, I don't think it accurately shows the pain and horrible things these people have to go through every day so they can survive. But I don't really know. I suppose it's different for everyone, but someone with as bad of a case as Hazel, I think that even in the beginning of the book, where she is for the most part stable, she would have a harder time handling it.

I really can't wait to finish this book, and I love the smart wit that Green sticks every where... Can't wait until they go to Amsterdam!