The cover of Paper Towns written by John Green. Photo from Wikimedia.
Paper Towns, published in September of 2009 and written by bestselling author John Green, follows the story of Quentin Jacobsen, or “Q”, a very thoughtful, somewhat nerdy boy who is trying to reach out and grab life however he can. He is infatuated by Margo Roth Spiegelman, an unattainable girl. Margo is unpredictable and full of beaming charm. She feels too much and is never really seen for who she is, but rather, for who everyone wants her to be.
In the book, Quentin has spent most of his life enamored with Margo from a distance. One night, Margo climbs through his window and asks for help on a revenge drive. She plans to get revenge on everyone who has hurt her over the past year. The two stay out until dawn, pranking everyone who presumably deserves it, from Margo’s ex-boyfriend to the high school bully. After they have avenged everyone, they break into Sea World and Quentin believes their friendship has been revived, however the next morning he discovers that Margo has disappeared, with no sign of where she may have gone.
As the story progresses, Quentin is presented with several clues to where Margo has gone that she left behind for him, such as a poem, a map, and others. Quentin and his friends, Ben, Radar, and Lacey, all skip their high school graduation to take a nineteen hour road trip in attempt to find Margo. As they begin to run out of clues, Quentin’s friends slowly give up, however he would stop at nothing to find Margo again.
Paper Towns tells a story about blind love and the chase after what one wants in life. If you enjoyed Green’s Looking For Alaska, you will love this book. The story is mysterious and keeps you on your toes as more is revealed about Margo’s disappearance. The story also has romance between Quentin and Margo. It is witty and comical, the way Green’s writing typically is. Although the plot is extraordinary, all of the characters are relatable and represent real, normal teenagers. Paper Towns is recommended for any reader, because it has a little bit of many genres mixed in.
The Paper Towns movie is being directed by Jake Schreier through the production company Temple Hill Productions and will be released in the USA on June 5th, 2015.
