First two edition covers of Paper Town
The story takes place in a suburban area in Orlando, Florida where the two main characters Quentin Jacobson and Margo Roth Spiegelman live. Quentin, or Q as his friends refer to him, is a quiet and somewhat distant while Margo is the queen of her highschool. The two were neighbors and childhood friends but become distant as they grew older. Aside from these two, we also have Ben Starling, Q's best friend and Marcus "Radar" Lincoln, Q's other best from. Further in the story, you will meet Lacey Pemberton. She's been Margo's friend since kindergarten. One night, while Q was preparing to go to sleep, Margo knocked on his room window. Margo told Q that he was her ride and that they would go around town pulling pranks. At first Q was reluctant but he eventually gave in. And as Q drove Margo around in his mother's minivan, their adventure began.
"Paper Towns" is divided into three different parts: The String, The Grass and The Vessel. Each represents the metaphor within its part. The word "paper town" means a fake location which a mapmaker put in a map so no one can copy it. It's also known as a copyright trap. John Green encountered one such paper during his trip to New York in his junior college year.
As a big fan of the vlogbrothers, I came to know of John Green and his occupation as a writer. The first book of his that I read was "The Fault In Our Stars". I didn't like it that much because it was too sentimental for my taste. But I decided to continue reading more of John's literature and pick up another of his work, called "Paper Towns". It was entirely different from "The Fault In Our Stars" except for it still being a teen love story. It was easier to digest because not only does it contain romance, but it also has other elements like mystery, adventure, coming-of-age,...The book is a perfect mix that will keep your interest even if you aren't a teen romance. It reminds me of my highschool life, not the kind that I had but the kind that I should have had. It was interesting to see Q slowly coming out of his shell, to see him as something different while finding out who Margo truly was. From the beginning to the end, it felt like I was inside the story, reliving every single moment through the writing of John Green. The book will make you laugh, the book will make you think about life and the book will make you see yourself as a person much clearer.
It is definitely a must read. Even though this is advertised as a young adult novel, I'm sure adults will find this book pleasant as well
Score: 8.5/10
P/s: Wow, it's been a long time since I posted anything here, which is terrible considering I want to be a writer and yet I didn't even write anything here on this site. But don't worry, as the new year comes so will the new me. I'll be more diligent when it comes to this blog
'Tis not abandoned
