Before and After

By Kelsi Piche

Looking for Alaska is a fictional, young adult based novel written by John Green. Many of Green's books are popular among teenagers because of their relatable qualities. John Green is also known for writing An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in our Stars which will be released as a movie in the near future. Most of his novels have been successful, resulting in him winning the Michael L. Printz Award for Looking for Alaska in 2006 and the Edgar Award for Paper Towns in 2008. In the captivating novel Looking for Alaska, John Green writes about a Junior in a Boarding High School named Miles Halter, later nicknamed Pudge. Pudge is described as a shy and awkward young man with a lot on his mind. He quickly befriends his new roommate named Chip with a nickname of the Colonel. Colonel is a strong, tough guy with a little bit of an emotional side but is a natural born leader. After befriending Colonel, Pudge then meets one of his friends named Alaska. At first Alaska seems crazy and spontaneous, but when Pudge and her spend a thanksgiving break together he then learns she is more than all the crazy stunts she pulls. Pudge and the reader begin to realize that she is smart, deep and has been through a lot in her life. With his new friends, his first year at Culver Creek will be one he will never forget.

In the beginning of the novel, it describes Pudge adjusting to his new surroundings and having a little fun with his friends. Pudge has a few problems with a couple students hazing him but his new friends seem to care about him and they look out for his well-being. He soon realizes the school is a lot harder than he thought it would be so he begins to really focus on his schoolwork, with occasional smoke breaks with Alaska and Colonel. After being at the school for a few months, Alaska decides to set Pudge up with a foreign exchange student named Lara. Even though he fails to impress her by unfortunately getting a basketball to the head, leaving him with a minor concussion, they go on to become closer as the book progresses. The second biggest prank in the book was one performed by Pudge, Colonel, Lara, Takumi and Alaska. As they wait for their plan to fall into action, they get drunk in a barn and and reveal their secrets, allowing the reader to get a better understanding of each character as an individual. Later on in the novel, a tragic death occurs and Pudge and his friends are left shocked and overwhelmed by the devastating event. They try piecing together what really happened the night of the Alaska's death. As a final goodbye to her, they pull the biggest prank throughout the book, in her honor. Since Miles was described as a boy with little-to-no friends, this journey at his new school is somewhat of a roller coaster, consisting of many ups and downs.

The book was well-written. What I liked most about the novel was the way John Green set it up. It is split in halves labeled, Before and After. In the first half he has the describes the teenagers lives before the death of Alaska and the second half is dedicated to the aftermath of her death. I liked this because it gave the reader two images of each character. It allowed the reader to see each character as fun and adventurous but then also upset and confused. It was interesting to see how each character dealt with the devastating loss. I also liked how well the author described each character. This gave me a vivid image of each one and a better understanding of them.

Although I loved this novel by John Green there was only one thing that left me feeling a little empty after finishing the book. I did not like how it ended. They searched so hard for the answers to their friends death, but the answers were not what I expected. Throughout the book I thought of Alaska as a strong person and I felt that for her to die the way she did was shocking and a huge plot twist.

Overall I really enjoyed reading Looking for Alaska and would definitely recommend the book. I think the book is more geared towards young adults because of the high school setting and ages of the characters but some adults may find it interesting as well. Any reader looking for book with pranks and a deathly plot twist would find this book just as intriguing as I did. You can find Looking for Alaska by John Green in your local library, on iTunes or on Amazon.