by Emmy Kirkham
John Green recently returned to the young adult scene after six years, with his novel “Turtles All the Way Down.”
I went into this book with high expectations because I've loved many of Green’s books in the past. “Turtles All the Way Down” fulfilled all of those expectations, while being vastly different from Green’s other works.
“Turtles All the Way Down” starts with a fugitive billionaire, by the name of Russell Pickett, and a $50,000 cash reward. The book is about 16-year-old Aza Holmes and her daily life with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Aza and her best friend, Daisy, are determined to find the billionaire and get the reward, yet the story goes much deeper than a mystery.
Aza is a wonderfully thought out character. Her thought spirals were very frequent in the story, depicting how they were inside her head, and her raw emotions were often shown. She was one of the most realistic young adult characters I have ever read about. Aza’s thoughts are ones young adult authors normally avoid.
Daisy was an extreme “Star Wars” fan. She wrote fan fiction, watched every spinoff series and movie, and made sure everyone knew about her love for “Star Wars.” I enjoyed this part of the book because it stayed true to real life and showed her interest in something, which many young adult books stray away from.
Davis, Aza’s childhood friend, was the son of the billionaire. Throughout the story, he voiced his opinion about his father, which gave an insight on who he really was along with who his father really was. I was intrigued by the way Green described Pickett’s personality so well, without Pickett being present in the story.
Personally, my favorite character was Noah, Davis’s little brother. Noah struggled with the fact his father had left him. Noah no longer had any guidance. His character showed what going through a traumatic experience can do to someone, especially someone so young. Green portrayed Noah in such a way, it felt like he was sitting right next to you, helping him through his struggles.
Through the book, there is an ongoing romance between Aza and Davis. Unlike Green’s other stories, the romance is a side part and was only brought up occasionally. I liked this style better because it showcased the bigger topics of the novel more.
Another aspect of the book I really enjoyed was it educated me on a variety of topics. There is a short history of Indianapolis, lessons about stars and planets, explanations about an animal called a tuatara, and detailed lessons on the bacteria that Aza was terrified of. Green managed to sneak little lessons all through the book, and they were just as interesting as the main plot.
I strongly recommend “Turtles All the Way Down” if you were looking for a unique young adult book, with great character development. This book is very different from Green’s previous novels, so I would recommend not going into this book with hopes it will be similar to his other works.
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