John Green novels a solid choice for saints

I’ve always believed that a good novel leaves a lasting impression on its reader. And the novel “Looking for Alaska” is a prime example of that. 

Written by John Green in 2005, ‘Looking’ chronicles the relationship between Miles Halter and his friends Chip Martin, Takumi Hikohito, and Alaska Young. The story takes place during Miles’ junior year of high school at a boarding school in Alabama.  

The novel is divided into a Before and After with the midpoint of the novel containing the death of one of the novel’s most pivotal characters. From the beginning, you can feel a sense of inevitability as the words “one hundred thirty-six days before” open the novel. The first half of the novel is full of discovery as Miles makes new friends and memories. Miles himself might be the type of character that many readers can identify with. He is socially awkward and lonely, and yet he still manages to make an impact on the lives of his friends.  

Miles explains that he goes to seek a “Great Perhaps,” which he tries to find at his boarding school in Alabama. In fact, despite the fact that Miles is the book’s main character, the entire plot  is soon centered around the titular Alaska Young. From her first appearance, the author Green succeeds in conveying a sense of wonder around her. In the eyes of Miles and the reader, she is an amazing person who is without fault – an image that becomes implanted in the mind of Miles, especially. 

Throughout the first half of the novel, Miles and his friends spend time getting closer to one another. And he, in particular, spends a lot of time forming a relationship with Alaska. The four of them spend a lot of time doing schoolwork while pulling pranks against the dean of the school and other students who happen to cross their path.  

In the second half of the novel, Miles deals with the loss of one of his closest friends. Due to the nature of this loss, the second half of the novel looks into the hearts of Miles and his friends. Suddenly, the novel turns into an introspective narrative where Miles tries to understand why one of his closest friends had to die.  

When I first read the book, I never expected to relate to it as much as I did. Most importantly, Green managed to write a bunch of teenage characters who felt like they were real people. Miles obviously gets most of the characterization, but the author doesn’t leave the other characters out of the picture, at all. Alaska was written to be a character who has layers upon layers to her. Chip is shown to be the leader of the group, who has had to fight for what he’s been given. 

What makes this novel special to me, however, is how human and personal it feels. The depth that Green brings to these characters manages to turn what would be a rather clichéd tale into a coming-of-age story that deserves to be talked about. When I turned the last page of Looking for Alaska, I realized that he managed to make me believe that Miles and his world were real. 

Josias Modesto