book review: looking for alaska - john green

" Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words–and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps.” Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps. "


that are just a little insight of the book.  i just had to say, there are more just than one boy meeting one girl which he can't never have.


john green had written this story with light language yet full of emotions. we can almost sense the honesty in his words and really understand what miles must be feeling.


the story divided by before and after of miles adventure in boarding school. 
the before was fun, full of prank and mischief while addressing the teenagers problem like smoking, drug and alcohol  abuse, friendship and love.
the pranks are hilarious, the kinds that make me said "why did i never thought of that in my boarding school days". 
while the teenagers problems are well portrayed that it wasn't exaggerated. it was all in natural balance. in a sense, john green really understand how these problems occurs in teenagers.


the after was depressing and gloomy. i can almost felt all of the character loss. even if it was depressing, i figured out that i refuse to stop reading, not even to wipe my tears. 


the two main characters, miles and colonel are trying to figure out what really happened to alaska. because they were the last ones with alaska when she freaked out. they were the ones who created diversion so that alaska can drive out of the school. they are the ones who let her drive, albeit her drunken state. it went against the rule of friends never let friends drive drunk. most would say their attempt to figure out alaska's death was accident or suicide would say that they only wanted some closure for themselves but i'd say that they not only wanted some closure for themselves but for alaska as well. throughout the story, alaska was mysterious and even her death was  a mystery. a puzzle they have to solve.


however, i was most driven by takumi's confession letter in the last day. in which he was neglected by the two characters in order to figure out character death. in the letter, he confessed that he knew all along why alaska freak out, why she brought the white tulips in her car. why she went straight to alabama. and he (takumi ) too had let her go so he was as much as guilty as the two friends. however, takumi never really reveal that information to miles and colonel, because he was hurt for being left alone in the dark. i think i could relate to his ( takumi) feeling. if i were left alone in the dark by my best friends, i would kept that information secrets too. takumi, however gave a hint of that incident by relating it to the story of alaska best day and worst day game they played in the barn so that miles and colonel would figure that out and find some closure. my heart are for takumi, because he was not that cruel to let his friends in doubt and also his confession are driven by his equally guilty state. i remember in one part, before  he told them about the relating best day worst day game incident, takumi said "we (colonel, miles, takumi) all let her go"


even if was  john green's first book, i like the fresh story line and the quirky quotes especially from all the characters. he depicted the real life teenage problem in a simple yet real way, and also he play the concept of truth and loyalty among friends well that make me adore the colonel character.


i would love to suggest this novel to anyone who are in the hunt of real, fun, emotional-driven novel.