Looking for Alaska

Spoiler Alert: Some people will enter our life only to change it forever.

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My favorite John Green novel to date, Looking for Alaska follows the timid Miles, his search for adventure and the crazy and larger than life Alaska who brings it to him. Well-written and heartbreaking, this story touched me to my core. When shy but observant Miles decides to attend boarding school he has only one goal in mind, "To seek a Great Perhaps." Inspired by one of his favorite sets of last words, Miles wants to make memories -- to stop trudging through life and begin to really live it. Upon arrival at his new southern boarding school, Miles is immediately met with eccentric, albeit well-meaning friends the Colonel and Takumi. The Colonel is a bossy no-nonsense roommate who works hard and has a higher IQ than anyone Miles has ever met. Despite being grumpy most of the time, he is also a loyal friend and a dedicated trouble-maker. Life in the Colonel's dorm is never dull. Takumi is a quick-witted, fast-talking, swag-covered student -- with eyes all over campus, he always has the dirt on everyone. Overwhelmed at first, Miles does not know how to react to his new friends -- he wants desperately to make them like him. He soon realizes that everything is about to get even more overwhelming however, when he meets Alaska. Immediately drawn in by her beauty and infectious spirit, Miles realizes that he didn't have to go looking for adventure -- it seemed to have found him. Bound by a shared love of philosophers and last words, Miles feels he and Alaska are meant to be, but it takes some time for Alaska to see it that way. Just like Miles, I too was drawn in by the complex and compelling Alaska. Broken and sad, but also inquisitive and bright, she is the epitome of youth and light. Full of strong relationships and scintillating dialogue this was certainly a story with a lot of heart. Although the characters were a bit pretentious, and perhaps talked in ways that were more fitting of college professors than high school juniors, I still enjoyed every page and related to the plot. A beautiful story about firsts, friendships, love, and sacrifice, Looking for Alaska was not only entertaining and easy to read, but extremely meaningful and poignant as well. Answering difficult questions on a level that is relatable and relevant, the story shows readers that loss is a part of life, but that doesn't mean one should stop living. Growing up can hurt; As Miles and his friends grapple with a tragedy beyond belief they realize the power of love and forgiveness -- and try not the lose themselves in the process. Life, Miles finds, is one long "labyrinth of suffering," so one must try their hardest to seek solace in the arms of loved ones and hope in the darkest of times to discover their own Great Perhaps.

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Favorite Quotes: “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” ~~ “So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.” ~~ “When I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books.” ~~ “I may die young, but at least I'll die smart.” ~~ We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.” ~~ “Thomas Edison's last words were "It's very beautiful over there". I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful.”