Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by itsdeenlee
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
5.0
I’ve been waiting a long time to see a new novel from John Green, and I can definitely say that Green’s latest YA book was worth the wait.
While I am a fan of The Fault in Our Stars, I am not a fan of it’s overextended, explicit, trying-to-be-romantic metaphors that plague the plot and the characters, so I was worried when Green spoke about his new work tackling mental health. I was afraid there would be too many overt metaphors and too much direct symbolism that would downplay the destruction that mental health can have on an individual’s life, but I am happy to say that this is not the case in Turtles All the Way Down. Green philosophically and poetically captures the reality of an individual living with a worsening mental health situation without many gimmicky phrases or symbols. With a few well-crafted phrases and simple metaphors, the author is able to describe situations that many of us living with mental illness are unable to put into words ourselves. He demonstrates how crippling mental health situations can be for individuals experiencing mental health in the simplest way of living, but he also emphasizes the complexities and pluralities of mental illness, in the sense that an individual’s mental health is not solely that individual’s burden to bear.
Although much of the book may seem repetitive and redundant, John Green shows the reality of mental health for so many. Throughout the book, I found myself thinking that I knew where the plot line was going and what would happen to the characters, and while there’s no major plot twist (although there is a very strong climax point), it was the last four or five chapters that have caused me give this novel a five-star review. The ending chapter is so powerful and rings so true and is so incredibly unique, but also so understanding of those experiencing mental health. Green allows the reader to see that mental health is not just a portion of an individual’s life, but will typically intertwine itself into every tense — past, present and future — of a human’s life, and while the battles are long and destructive, patience and kindness and empathy are some of the most important aspects of moving forward together between and individual and their mental health.
Honestly, John Green is very brave human for being able to write a novel so close to his own struggles for the entire world to see and read and attempt to understand. I feel very privileged to have had even a glimpse into his own personal struggles with mental health.
If you’re very much looking to read into the intricacies of mental health and honestly just understand people as people a little bit more, I highly recommend this book.
While I am a fan of The Fault in Our Stars, I am not a fan of it’s overextended, explicit, trying-to-be-romantic metaphors that plague the plot and the characters, so I was worried when Green spoke about his new work tackling mental health. I was afraid there would be too many overt metaphors and too much direct symbolism that would downplay the destruction that mental health can have on an individual’s life, but I am happy to say that this is not the case in Turtles All the Way Down. Green philosophically and poetically captures the reality of an individual living with a worsening mental health situation without many gimmicky phrases or symbols. With a few well-crafted phrases and simple metaphors, the author is able to describe situations that many of us living with mental illness are unable to put into words ourselves. He demonstrates how crippling mental health situations can be for individuals experiencing mental health in the simplest way of living, but he also emphasizes the complexities and pluralities of mental illness, in the sense that an individual’s mental health is not solely that individual’s burden to bear.
Although much of the book may seem repetitive and redundant, John Green shows the reality of mental health for so many. Throughout the book, I found myself thinking that I knew where the plot line was going and what would happen to the characters, and while there’s no major plot twist (although there is a very strong climax point), it was the last four or five chapters that have caused me give this novel a five-star review. The ending chapter is so powerful and rings so true and is so incredibly unique, but also so understanding of those experiencing mental health. Green allows the reader to see that mental health is not just a portion of an individual’s life, but will typically intertwine itself into every tense — past, present and future — of a human’s life, and while the battles are long and destructive, patience and kindness and empathy are some of the most important aspects of moving forward together between and individual and their mental health.
Honestly, John Green is very brave human for being able to write a novel so close to his own struggles for the entire world to see and read and attempt to understand. I feel very privileged to have had even a glimpse into his own personal struggles with mental health.
If you’re very much looking to read into the intricacies of mental health and honestly just understand people as people a little bit more, I highly recommend this book.