Paper Towns

By John Green

The Author
John Green is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An
Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, The Fault in Our Stars, and Turtles All the Way
Down. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He
was the 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and
has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been
published in more than 55 languages and over 24 million copies are in print.

The Book
Being one of the many avid John Green books readers, it’s doubtless to say that ‘The
Fault In Our Stars’ happens to be my go to book under all circumstances. And I owe it to
this very novel, for introducing me to the other ‘one of their kind’ stories. TFIOS and Paper
Towns are miles apart, for that matter all his books are, and that’s what gives them their
unique edge. Paper Towns is a captivating & unique novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and
still do after having read it several times.

‘Paper Towns’ in dictionary terms refer ​to  towns  that  are  added  to  a  map  but  don't  exist, 
to  keep  other  mapmakers  from  crossing  copyright  laws. However, in this novel, a ‘Paper
Town’ refers to a ​ town that is shallow, fragile, and fake, as is described by Margo. 
 
John Green is an excellent writer and has included many themes throughout the book,
Paper Towns. The theme that is the most prominent and consistent, is the idea of seeing
the truth in people. Another one of the themes is, chasing after what you want in life, no
matter what is left behind.

Quentin "Q" Jacobsen and his next-door neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, played
together as children, but over time Margo became an unattainable girl of allure and
mystery. Just a few weeks before graduation, the two reconnect when she suddenly
appears at Q's window and asks for help with an all-night revenge spree targeting
unfaithful friends and bullies throughout their Orlando neighborhood. This adrenaline-filled
adventure kicks off Paper Towns and refuels Quentin's desire for Margo.
But the next day Margo had vanished. Since the girl has disappeared before, leaving
ambiguous clues and turning up in outlandish places, her family has written her off this
time, and her high school friends are awaiting a spectacular return with an even more
dramatic story of her escapades. Only Quentin fears the worst, that she has taken off to
commit suicide, when he finds clues left specifically for him in highlighted passages of
Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.
His desperate search for Margo leads him in and out of abandoned subdivisions, what the
girl once called "paper towns". Along the way, he realizes that his search is not just for
Margo, but for the "real" Margo, the girl nobody really knew, perhaps not even himself.
Helping Q solve the puzzle are his bestfriends Ben and Radar. Their witty, hilarious
banter lightens Quentin's quest, and provides rich fodder for the friends' culminating
road-trip investigation.

My favourite element of the plot are the three sections. The book is split into three parts,
namely ​The Strings​, ​The Grass and ​The Vessel​. These represent the three metaphors
used throughout the book. Each section focuses on one of the metaphors, and it is
mentioned in a number of forms. It also sets the atmosphere for each section: ​The
Strings is about breaking, and irreversible change; ​The Grass is about friends, family
and memories; ​The Vessel​ is about journeys and final destinations.

In my opinion, the best thing about this book was the discussion of identity. The book
focuses on each character's different idea of Margo, and eventually their realisations that
she is just a person like them.
John Green has done a remarkable job at balancing the metaphors and philosophical
discussions with developed characters and some really funny comedy.
To conclude, Paper Towns is a remarkable yet funny book with great characters and
beautiful metaphors. I would recommend it to fans of any other John Green book, or fans
of any similar authors.