The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

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The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favorite books that I read this summer.  I hesitated to read anothe book about a girl with cancer, but my daughter convinced me that it was worth it.  And was she right! This beautifully written story is full of honest humor and tragedy. The story is about Hazel and Gus who both have cancer.  Hazel is terminal. Despite this, she has a burning obsession to find out what happens to the characters after the end of her favorite novel . An Imperial Affliction by Dutch author Peter Van Houten is about a girl named Anna who has cancer, and it ends in mid-sentence (presumably to indicate a life cut short), a stylistic choice that Hazel appreciates but the ambiguity drives her crazy. Did the "Dutch Tulip Man" marry Anna's mom? What happened to Sisyphus the Hamster? Hazel asks her questions via email and Van Houten responds, claiming that he can only tell her the answers in person. When she was younger, Hazel used her wish-one granted to sick children from The Genie Foundation-by going to Disney World. Gus decides to use his to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet the author. Like most things in life, the trip doesn't go exactly as anticipated. Van Houten is a disappointment, but Hazel, who has resisted loving Gus because she doesn't want to be the grenade that explodes in his life when she dies, finally allows herself to love. The Fault in Our Stars is an achingly beautiful story about life and loss.