From the author of The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska manages to put a new spin onto the representation of modern teenage life. Looking For Alaska expresses the extent of John Green's literary talents, encouraging the reader to reflect on the contents of the narrative.
Miles, or Pudge as he's known at Culver Creek, embarks on a journey to boarding school - the same school that his father attended during his youth. Miles is the protagonist of this gripping novel and it's soon revealed that he's out of his comfort zone at Culver Creek - although this soon changes. Being the 'new kid' from Florida, Miles is looking for friends and soon becomes close to roommate, the Colonel. This friendship transforms into a dependency on each other for constant support in every day life, bringing them closer together the further you read. With the Colonel being well known for his legendary pranks around the school, Pudge soon becomes caught up in his games through the encouragement from Alaska.
Alaska Young is the attractive, mysterious and self destructing character that Pudge slowly falls in love with. Her character is very unpredictable, going from confident and alert to periods of sadness and self hatred. Alaska introduces Miles to life at Culver Creek, getting him involved in their madness - too caught up that he cannot get out. Pudge, Alaska and the Colonel are a trio that are dependent on each other - taking the blame for the other to escape expulsion. Alaska's character develops throughout the novel, with which we learn about her obsession for literature and the idea of the labyrinth. Her obscure character soon attracts Miles, who can memorise the last words of almost everyone, and their friendship develops into something special.
Throughout the ups and downs of the novel, Green involves the essentials of the teenage life: pranks, bets and disastrous plans. The ultimate prank is played at Culver Creek, thanks to Alaska, whilst a mind boggling investigation is underway by the gang. The novel doesn't hide anything - everything is revealed that wants to be revealed. The structure of the novel is so informal that you become absorbed in the lives of the characters and their personalities. John Green manages to express
the idea of young love and the relationships that the characters hold,
causing the reader to become attached to the characters of Miles and
Alaska.
The novel shows the sadness
that the young live with, loving yourself because no one else will, and
forgiving yourself in order to be happy and accepting about the
circumstances. The characters, especially Alaska, represent the human
race as a whole: looking for something that can help us escape from the
never ending labyrinth.
