Reviewer: Grace, 11th grade
Star Rating: 5
John
Green’s newest novel, Turtles All the Way Down, is emotional, dark, and unique despite featuring the witty, quirky teenagers that he is known for. The book centers on 16 year old Aza Holmes and her best friend Daisy as they attempt to solve the mystery of the disappearance of billionaire Russell Pickett. With eyes on a one-hundred thousand dollar reward, the pair reconnect with Pickett’s son and attempt to learn more about his father’s disappearance.
However, the plot takes a relative backseat to Aza’s internal monologue and resulting battles. Aza suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, a diagnosis that Green shares, and much of the novel focuses on her fears of contracting a bacterial infection and the way her sense of identity and agency are impacted by thought spirals and actions that she can’t control. Turtles has elements of the wit and romance that are hallmarks of Green’s work but is less plot-driven than The Fault in Our Stars or Paper Towns.
I found the novel to be very believable in the way the characters dealt with pain and hardship and in its portrayal of mental illness, and I would recommend this book to teenage readers who enjoy reflective characters and a focus on relationships rather than action. The circumstances of the novel are not universal and Aza can seem hard to relate to or connect with, but I think that any teen who has experienced anxiety can see a bit of themselves in her and her story.
