After the success of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in 2012, the literary world has been waiting for his next move. He hinted at the progress of his newest piece of work through social media repeatedly, heightening the anticipation. After a long five years of waiting, Green fed his fans with exactly what they needed: a realistic fiction novel that addresses mental health issues. While his work may be described as cliche and even childish, Turtles All the Way Down manages to describe OCD amongst adolescents excellently.
The novel opens on the thoughts of the protagonist, Aza Holmes. Her fears dig so deep into her mind, that she cannot help the thought of a fatal infection taking over her body. While the outside world may be addressing her, she remains too busy picking at the raw callus on her finger in an attempt to drain out bacteria in her body. The intricate details of her anxious and obsessive thoughts show the insight Green has into this sort of mental struggle. Whether he has had his own experience with mental disorders, or he spent his time researching emotions one feels when such a struggle is present, the irrational fear he describes is precise.
As the novel progresses, more of Aza’s personal life is revealed. Her best friend, Daisy, seems to be impulsive and to the point. This contrast to the protagonist’s personality helps to emphasize how unstable Aza’s mind truly is. One day Daisy pressures Aza into reconnecting with one of her old friends, Davis, to try and find out more about his missing father. Through this, Daisy hopes to gain access to a $100,000 reward if the pair find him. While Aza is uncomfortable, she goes along with it, simultaneously trying to disregard her doubts and fears.
The storyline of an extremely rich high school boy living in a mansion equipped with amenities alone seems very unrealistic, but all the while Green still manages to draw the audience in. He allows for any reader to feel a certain sense of connection, no matter the situation his characters are in. He draws people in through pop culture references, such as Star Wars. He triggers the reader’s memories by adding hiccups to the Aza’s and Daisy’s friendship. After experiencing a romantic spark between Davis and Daisy, the loss of Davis’ parents, and the trail of clues all the characters have to follow to reach the conclusion of the story, one thing is clear. Green has managed to tap into the audience’s emotions once again. We have all experienced loss, whether it be the loss Davis and his brother endured when their parents passed away, or when Davis moved to Colorado away from Aza. The sole emotion I was left with once I finished this book, was wanting more, as I am sure everyone else was.
