Will Grayson, Will Grayson Review

I have another John Green (and David Levithan) book review for you today. (May contain spoilers).

As with the rest of John Green's books, his unique style of writing is amazing and really helps to shape the book. The two Will characters are written so well, in a way that you can get inside both of their heads and understand them as characters on a deep and intimate level, despite the two being very different. 

David Levithan really manages to capture the thoughts and mindset of a someone living with depression and the way he portrays his character allows us to connect with him and empathise in various situations. Both characters are written in a way that expresses their intelligence, their mindset and their thoughts in general, enabling us to see how they respond and react to situations.

The book itself is not like anything else I've ever read; it has quite a unique plot, including a lot of wit and dry humour which I really enjoyed reading and found very funny. It was definitely not like I had expected it to be, but this just made it better. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into it, but after that, I read it quite quickly and really enjoyed it.

I also liked how David Levithan's Will Grayson wrote in lowercase letters which adds to the expression of his personality, particularly helping to express his thoughts and mindset.

These were a couple of extracts that I particularly loved (contains spoilers): 

'o.w.g: i know it sucks, but in a way, it's good.

this is about as inspirational as a movie of hitler making out with his girlfriend and having a good time. it ruins afoul of what i call the birds*** rule. you know, how people say it's good luck if a bird s***s on you? and people believe it! i just want to grab them and say, 'dude, don't you realize this whole superstition was made up because no one could think of anything else good to say to a person who'd just been s*** upon?' and people do that all the time- and not with something as temporary as birds***, either. you lost your job? great opportunity! failed at life? there's only one way to go- up! dumped by a boyfriend who never existed? i know it sucks, but in a way, it's good!' 

I found this extract really amusing, particularly as it was something I'd not thought about before but whilst reading this I understood and was amazed that it was something that had taken me so long to realise.

'i think the idea of a 'mental health day' is something completely invented by people who have no clue what it's like to have bad mental health. the idea that your mind can be aired out in twenty-four hours is kind of like saying heart disease can be cured if you eat the right breakfast cereal. mental health days only exist for people who have the luxury of saying 'i don't want to deal with things today' and then can take the whole day off, while the rest of us are stuck fighting the fights we always fight, with no one really caring one way or another, unless we choose to bring a gun to school or ruin the morning announcements with a suicide.'

I thought this was very accurate and showed a serious point of view of someone suffering from depression compared to how mental health issues can be viewed and often belittled by those who don't have experience of it.

'tiny: you know what's a great metaphor for love?

me: i have a feeling you're about to tell me?...

tiny: sleeping beauty.

me: sleeping beauty?

tiny: yes, because you have to plow through this incredible thicket of horns in order to get to beauty, and even then, when you get there, you still have to wake her up.

me: so i'm a thicket?

tiny: and the beauty that isn't fully awake yet.'

I just loved this cause I thought it was a beautiful metaphor.

'this is why we call people exes, i guess- because the paths that cross in the middle end up separating at the end. it's too easy to see an X as a cross-out. it's not, because there's no way to cross out something like that. the X is a diagram of two paths.'

This was another extract I liked because it was kind of a realisation and a 'wow' moment for me as I understood what it was saying, having been something I'd not thought of before, but again, I thought it was a really deep and meaningful way of looking at (in this case) 'exes'.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book; it's funny, it's interesting and it's thought provoking!

Have you got any book recommendations? Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading.

Love, Steph x

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