The cracks let other see us

Author : John Green
Title : Paper Towns
Published : 03/05/2010
Pages : 321
Format : Kindle
Publisher : Bloomsbury Childrens

     Who is the real Margo? Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. She has disappeared. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance . . . and they are for him. Trailing Margo's disconnected path across the USA, the closer Q gets, the less sure he is of who he is looking for.

     so I watched the film this is base on last week and much like always after watching an adaption decide to grab a copy of the source book. While I did enjoy the film my first love will always be for the printed page. The story of a boy on a quest to find what he believes to be his true love. While I'm no longer a teenager some time we all get drawn back to those years of our lives.

 

     Q is our hero and for the most part he lives a relatively quiet and safe life. He gets good grades and does as he's told. But when Margo turns up at his window one night he decides its time to rebel if in only what he thinks will be a small way. He is as you can imagine the sort of slightly nerdy kid who properly would have lived a fairly average life. For the most part he's a likable person his obsession with Margo can at time be slightly worrying. While he never does any thing that comes across as truly creepy you kind of just want to tell him to take a breath. This is more about him learning that once in a while we need to step away from what we know and try and find a different side to life. Q is more shoved in to this than walking of his own accord. His one night with Margo being the catalyst. Margo For most of this book is shown as what our hero believes her to be. Which as she shows is not really who she is. The scenes she is in show of different parts of what is going on inside her. From her curiosity as a child to the one night revenge plot.  If you break all that ties you maybe it's easier to leave a life behind. I felt we didn't really get to meet her properly till the end of the book. This when she shows she's no magical pixie girl ( Who lets be honest is just a construct. They Only really exist in books and films). Her worry is that she will be tied down to a life that will slowly killer her inside. At times we can all worry we are just two dimensional people playing a apart we are not sure we really want. Margo wants to believe in a better world  One that's bright and full of colour even in dark abandoned buildings. Aided on his quest are his Two best friends Ben and Radar. As with theses sort of thing we have Ben who is kind of like chaos in action bouncing from one thing to the next. And Radar the intellectual trying to bring reason an order to things. The chemistry between these two adds a lot of humour to the story. The remind me of friends  I had back when I was in my teenage years. And Between the three of them there decision making may not be the best the do feel like the care for each other. Lacey is some one who I struggled with a bit to start with She didn't  seem to fit. but as the journey continued I became to appreciate her more. She pulls them together and Shows that she really does care about Margo just as much as the others. She need to understand why she was targeted in the revenge plot. But once again this comes back to what others believe of us.

 

     What Green gives us is a story about people finding them selves. How a group of actions can build in to something that will change some forever. Quentin learning that just because you have an idea of what or who some one is doesn't really make it true. We all have our own selves the ones we keep hidden from the world. And Margo who is terrified that she is just another paper girl lost in the world. Her need to break free and find a place where she no longer need to present the myth of the cool girl. At heart she just wants to find a place she can belong and no longer wear this mask.  The clues she leaves add a nice element to the story of a an adventure to find a girl who as it turns out doesn't really want to be rescued. These in them selves keep the plot rolling along to it's conclusion. I really enjoyed the segment involving the road trip. this add some truly funny moments including Ben and his need to pee. The style of this book works well with the plot and speeds along. Never feeling to stay in one place to long. By the time we arrive at the ending every one seems to be in the right place. And while we don't get the big gushy finally you might expect it does seem fitting for the people we have come to learn about. At the end of the day people are just that with there own problems, hopes and dreams. No one is perfect and no one can possible live up to the ideas we have of them the best we can hope for is to except each others flaws and make the best of what we have.

 

     This book will hopefully make your laugh and possible take you on a small journey of emotions. This is much more about the trip than the destination. And how we all need to grow and change. For me this group of teenagers makes the book. the way they play of each other comes across as genuine. And while most people won't every go on a massive road trip let alone one to find some one you've probably thought about it at some point. I know some people have said that the charters in this book are a lot like others from greens book. But as I've only read this one so I can't really say. All I know is I enjoyed the book and it gave me a change of pace from the sort of thing I normally read.