The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
36 min
9 Key Points
4.5 RateWhat's inside?
Dive into a heart-wrenching tale of two teenagers battling cancer, finding love, and learning to live life to the fullest despite their circumstances.
You'll learn
1. Why love and mates matter when life gets tough2. Dealing with the big 'C' and the end game3. Living for now and loving life's little things4. Bouncing back and braving the storm5. Growing through the pain of losing someone6. Why getting each other is key in relationships.Key points
01The Literal Heart of Jesus
There is a very specific, suffocating kind of isolation that comes with being profoundly sick when you are supposed to be in the prime of your youth. Hazel Grace Lancaster is a sixteen-year-old girl who knows this isolation intimately, primarily because her lungs absolutely suck at being lungs. She carries a heavy oxygen tank around with her everywhere she goes, a constant, physical reminder of the thyroid cancer that has metastasized into her lungs. Her mother is utterly convinced that Hazel is depressed, which, as Hazel logically points out, is just a side effect of dying. But moms will be moms, and so Hazel is forced to attend a weekly cancer support group held in the basement of an Episcopal church. The church basement is shaped like a cross, and the support group sits right in the middle, which the overly enthusiastic group leader, Patrick, constantly refers to as "the literal heart of Jesus." Patrick is a testicular cancer survivor who means well, but the meetings are an agonizing routine of sharing feelings, celebrating minor medical victories, and acknowledging the empty chairs left by those who have passed away. Hazel hates it. She approaches the entire ordeal with a sharp, cynical wit, finding solace only in a mutual, silent understanding with a boy named Isaac, who is slowly losing his eyesight to eye cancer. They communicate their shared misery through dramatic sighs and subtle eye rolls. But then, on one seemingly ordinary Wednesday, the routine is shattered. A new boy is in the circle, and he will not stop staring at Hazel. His name is Augustus Waters. He is gorgeous, confident, and possesses a crooked smile that immediately disarms you. He is there to support his friend Isaac, but his attention is entirely captivated by Hazel. When it is his turn to introduce himself, Augustus shares that he had osteosarcoma, which cost him his right leg, but he is currently cancer-free. More importantly, he reveals his deepest fear: oblivion. He is terrified of living a life that leaves no mark, of dying without doing something extraordinary. Hazel, who usually keeps her head down, boldly speaks up. she tells him that oblivion is inevitable, that one day the sun will swallow the earth, and all human memory will be erased, so he might as well just ignore the fear. It is a delightfully morbid response, and Augustus is absolutely instantly smitten. After the meeting, the connection between them is electric and completely undeniable. Augustus approaches her, deeply fascinated by her sharp mind and undeniable beauty. He pulls out a cigarette and places it between his lips, a gesture that initially disgusts Hazel. How could anyone, let alone a cancer survivor, intentionally put something toxic into their lungs when she literally has to carry machinery just to breathe? But Augustus stops her right before she can fully unleash her anger. He explains that he never actually lights the cigarette. It is a metaphor. You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you do not give it the power to do its killing. It is a small, defiant way of reclaiming control over his own mortality. This metaphor sets the tone for who Augustus Waters is: grand, theatrical, thoughtful, and determined to live life on his own terms. He invites Hazel over to his house to watch a movie, and to her own surprise, she says yes. The drive to his house is terrifying—Augustus is an astonishingly bad driver, a side effect of his prosthetic leg and general reckless enthusiasm—but it is also the most alive Hazel has felt in years. When they arrive at his house, Hazel is introduced to his parents, whose home is covered in "Encouragements," framed quotes that offer toxic positivity. Augustus and Hazel bond over their mutual amusement at these quotes, and as they settle into his basement to watch a movie, the foundation of a profound, life-altering friendship is firmly established.
02An Imperial Affliction and Shared Obsessions
Books have a very unique way of becoming our secret hiding places, and for Hazel, her ultimate sanctuary is a novel called An Imperial Affliction by a reclusive author named Peter Van Houten. It is not just a book to her; it is a sacred text that perfectly articulates the deeply unfair reality of living with terminal illness. As Hazel and Augustus grow closer, they agree to a sacred exchange of their favorite literature. Augustus gives Hazel his favorite novel based on a video game, The Price of Dawn, which is full of relentless action and heroic sacrifices. In return, Hazel entrusts him with her most prized possession, An Imperial Affliction. Sharing a favorite book with someone is a terrifying act of vulnerability. You are essentially handing them a piece of your soul and hoping they do not reject it. Hazel waits with bated breath as Augustus reads the novel. The story of An Imperial Affliction follows a young girl named Anna who has cancer, but what makes it so important to Hazel is that it does not treat cancer like a noble battle or a spiritual journey. It treats it like the random, senseless tragedy it is. However, the most defining feature of the book is its ending. It does not actually have one. The story stops mid-sentence, implying that the narrator, Anna, either died or became too sick to continue writing. While Hazel understands the artistic necessity of this ending, it drives her absolutely crazy. She desperately needs to know what happens to the other characters after Anna dies. Does her mother move on? What happens to her pet hamster? For Hazel, knowing that the people left behind will be okay is a massive psychological burden. She is terrified of what her own death will do to her parents, particularly her mother, whose entire life currently revolves around Hazel’s medical care. When Augustus finishes the book, he is just as frustrated by the mid-sentence ending, but he is also entirely captivated by the story. This shared obsession becomes a powerful bridge between them. They spend hours on the phone dissecting the narrative, imagining different outcomes, and debating the philosophical implications of the text. Augustus, being the incredibly proactive and determined person that he is, decides that simply wondering is not enough. He manages to track down an email address for Peter Van Houten’s assistant, Lidewij Vliegenthart, and successfully establishes contact with the elusive author. Hazel is completely stunned. She has been writing letters to Van Houten for years with no response, but Augustus manages to break through. When Hazel emails Van Houten herself, asking her burning questions about the fate of the characters, she actually gets a reply. Van Houten states that he cannot answer her questions in writing because it would constitute a sequel, but if she ever finds herself in Amsterdam, where he lives, he would be happy to discuss it in person. This invitation is both a miracle and a tragedy. Going to Amsterdam is entirely impossible for Hazel. Her family simply does not have the immense financial resources required for international travel, especially given her staggering medical bills. Furthermore, her physical condition makes such a trip incredibly dangerous. As their emotional intimacy deepens, Hazel begins to pull away. She realizes that Augustus is falling in love with her, and this terrifies her more than her own death. She explicitly tells him that she is a "grenade." One day, she is going to blow up, and she wants to minimize the casualties when that happens. She has already accepted the inevitable devastation her death will bring to her parents, but she absolutely refuses to inflict that same pain on Augustus. She tries to build a wall between them, trying to protect his heart from the shrapnel of her eventual demise. But Augustus Waters is not the kind of boy who is easily deterred by a grenade. He looks at her, fully aware of the explosion to come, and decides that loving her is entirely worth the collateral damage.
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03The Wish That Changed Everything
04Leaving The Atmosphere for Amsterdam
05The Drunken Writer and The Broken Pedestal
06A Devastating Confession in The Hotel
07The Pre-Funeral and The Blind Rage
08Conclusion
About John Green
John Green is an acclaimed American author, primarily known for young adult fiction. His notable works include "Looking for Alaska" and "The Fault in Our Stars". Green is also a popular YouTube vlogger, co-creating the channels Vlogbrothers and Crash Course.
