“Looking for Alaska” by John Green

“Looking for Alaska” is the novel which encapsulates best the essence of youth. Pranks, humor, fun, love, friendship, betrayals and emotions.

This novel became very dear to me while Alaska proved to be a complex and profound character. Her thoughts and emotions seem to be, in an addictive and fascinating way, artistic and delusional.

Title: “Looking for Alaska”

Author: John Green

Number of pages: 297

Genre: Romance, YA

Trope: Complex and incomprehensible character

Stars Rating: 5/5 ⭐

Recommended Age: +14

The Great Perhaps

The narrator’s way of approaching this aspect truly stunned me, being deeper than I would’ve ever imagined. It referred to the elementary essence of life: a purpose and a destination. I really admired this “Great Perhaps” thing, being a common sense for life nowadays. When we are in a hope of reaching our highest self, living a life to remember, we are living every day in the idea of not asking ourselves “what if”. Love, enjoy, feel, live! It’s the motto of life. Making sure there’s no regret after all.

“𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐢𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐬. 𝐇𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐞𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 “𝐈 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬.” 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈’𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐨 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬.”

“Looking for Alaska”, John Green

There are few things you can just feel deep in your heart, but still impossible to express into words. Seeking a “Great Perhaps” is the motive of living and feeling. It is the place where you belong, more like a metaphorical one anyway. In that moment of “Great Perhaps”, everything suddenly fades away.

A symbol of freedom

Alaska was a disturbed character. She was like a thunder storm: gorgeous but yet unpredictable and addictive. Alaska was complex, a total fiasco, and yet profound and mysterious. Her thoughts were often enigmatic and hidden behind an innocent and yet tired smile.

She was the embodiment of the young good. A pure soul, exhausted by the sadness and solitude fate brought her. She was young and chaotic, a totally perfect composition of freedom and emotion.

I absolutely loved every character’s curiosity regarding her true thoughts and emotions. Each of her friends knew a tiny part, different each time, of Alaska’s self.

Saying she was an introvert would be so unclear and superficial! She always spoke her mind, protected everyone and made sure their young souls were feeling infinite. She was a feminist and a revolutionary, speaking up only for the truth. Nevertheless, nobody wholly knew her feelings and regrets. Everyone knew her, but how many “saw” her as she was, in the only way that actually matters?

“𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮,’ 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝, ‘𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭.”

“Looking for Alaska”, John Green

Beyond her complexity, her character might have also hidden the Borderline Personality Disorder which she was suffering of. I am not sure if her mood changes were actually of a medical condition, but there’s a possibility.

Beyond understanding

Miles was a unique character through his passion of memorizing everyone’s last words. Being drown in his conviction that the most elementary aspect of someone’s death, is the meaning of their last words. Those would summarize the person’s life, character and meaning. A morbid poem lost in the night sky.

“𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭.”

“Looking for Alaska”, John Green

The words conceived an inspiration for the young Miles in his seek for “The Great Perhaps”. All the metaphors and hidden symbols were his and Alaska’s soul language. Say what you want, but even if they were not totally romantically implied, they were the only ones speaking each other’s “language”.

After meeting Alaska and losing her forever, Miles’ greatest regret was not knowing her last words. Not remembering the last ones she addressed him or even if there were not more of them.

“𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬.”

“Looking for Alaska”, John Green

Miles, the boy whose existence was formed by strangers’ words, an inspiration for the future souls on Earth, couldn’t do the same for the one person that changed his life so much more than “The Great Perhaps” he was looking for.

Deeper into the book

“Looking for Alaska” is neither a tragedy, nor a mystery or a love story. It is Alaska’s story, a girl whose enigma couldn’t have ever been encompassed or elucidated. Even though the ending of the story is emotional and sad, this story brings the readers through an unforgettable journey for falling in love with being young. As the protagonist said, people tend to use the future to escape the present. But why? Wouldn’t it be easier to make the present your new home, designing it as you wish?

The book was actually a psychological one, hiding its meaning behind pranks, jokes, broken rules and teenage drama. It approached themes like the way out of the “labyrinth” or the seek of “The Great Perhaps”. Technically, deep subjects related to the meaning of life and living. The tints are discrete, but should never be missed. I think all these profound discussions made “Looking for Alaska” one of my favorites.

“Looking for Alaska”

The title of the book highlights the main character’s journey for meeting Alaska. As he tried to approach her, not necessarily physical but emotional, she disappeared. She was gorgeous and respected, having everyone’s eyes on her. Even if we’re talking about the physical distance or the emotional one she put between her and even her friends, she rarely exposed her true feelings. Even her own death remained drown in mystery and questions on every one’s lips.

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In the following part of the review, I will approach aspects of the book which will include possible spoilers.

An ending accordingly to a life

Alaska lived with her whole spirit. Depression wiped out her enthusiasm, but she continued trying to live a life everyone will remember. Alaska’s death had to be a mystery as the person’s whole life. I liked how the ending was quite contrasting, letting the reader believe what version he wanted. Alaska might have seen the police cars and strongly wanted to die, finding the perfect moment, but she also might have been too drunk and upset to actually pay attention to the road. Her whole death could have all been an accident or just her chance to escape the misery.

Miles decided to settle her last words as being ‘𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝’, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐡, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐰𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭.”. He wanted to remember her as she was, deep and enigmatic. Always using a metaphor or sarcasm as an answer. This was his Alaska: broken, pure, innocent and passionate.

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