Is it possible to love something so much yet, dislike it with the same intensity? That's exactly how I feel about Turtles all the way down by John Green.
John Green is one of my favorite authors simply on the grounds that he authored two of my top 5 books. But if I'm being honest, Turtles all the way down is not his best work. The weird thing is that I loved it regardless. While I could recognize his voice between the pages, as the plot progressed, I began to doubt if John Green really put his pen to paper on this one. Then again, he has written many masterpieces, so he's allowed one average novel (Just this once John)
A young adult novel like most of John Green's books, Turtles all the way down focuses on Aza, a 16-year-old girl battling anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD). Aza is constantly anxious that she is infected with C-diff bacteria and this affects every area of her life. Aza is convinced that she isn't real and she is merely made up of different microorganisms with no way to know which part is the real Aza. She tries multiple times to get rid of these organisms resulting in self-harm scenarios that could be triggering for some readers.
On second thought, turtles all the way down is the first book I've read that has portrayed mental illness so realistically and evidently. Of course, John Green has openly discussed his similar struggles with mental illness which was really instrumental in him dissecting this abstract concept.
The whole time reading you're in Aza's head listening to all her rational, and irrational thoughts. Some scenes were especially emotional for me and even though I couldn't completely understand Aza, the rationale behind her anxiety made sense in a way. It was overwhelming to realize that she had absolutely no control over her spiral thoughts and intrusive OCD. She couldn't just snap out of it and that's the message John Green was trying to pass across.
While I loved the central theme of the novel, The overall plot was directionless. I kept expecting something more to come out of the sub-plot like a full-blown whodunit scenario but it was resolved very early and so underwhelmingly.
In my completely biased opinion, I would give Turtles all the way down by John Green 3.5 stars out of 5. This is mainly because the story is my cup of tea, and it's a John Green novel.
Would I recommend Turtles all the way down?
It depends, I'm a John Green groupie so I believe every human should as a matter of fanaticism buy all his books and read. I'd recommend the book to anyone who wants to learn more about the reality of mental illnesses. Besides, several people seemed to enjoy it what I've seen.
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