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Turtles All the Way Down

John Green

Start date: May 1, 2018

Finish date: May 30, 2018

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: May is Abilities/Disabilities.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

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Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

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What Members Thought

Oct 24, 2017 Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: family, realistic-fiction, contemporary, needs-review, tough-subjects, audiobooks, drama, young-adult, netgalley-read-challenge-2017

I'm going to preface this review by saying that this will be a fairly long one - because I have a lot of thoughts on "Turtles All the Way Down" and feel like I'm trying to pin them down as much as I can to reflect on my (read: complicated) experience reading it. This is the first book by John Green I've read I think since "The Fault in Our Stars" - which I'll let my review reflect my thoughts on the latter book without going into much detail (suffice to say - I didn't love it and had my reasons) I'm going to preface this review by saying that this will be a fairly long one - because I have a lot of thoughts on "Turtles All the Way Down" and feel like I'm trying to pin them down as much as I can to reflect on my (read: complicated) experience reading it. This is the first book by John Green I've read I think since "The Fault in Our Stars" - which I'll let my review reflect my thoughts on the latter book without going into much detail (suffice to say - I didn't love it and had my reasons). I picked up this book figuring I'd tackle his latest effort and see how it struck me. It definitely promised to be an emotional read considering it features a main character who suffers from a compulsive disorder and subsequent anxiety. It's paired alongside a rather unusual story about a boy and his brother whose millionaire father goes missing and leaves his inheritance to...an animal of all things?

Yeah, let's just get the ball rolling on this, shall we?

"Turtles All the Way Down"- to its credit - was a very quick read that I honestly didn't put down unless I had to - I will say that my overarching reaction was positive - I liked a good portion of this book. I flew through it within less than 24 hours, and it featured a strong, wonderfully evocative audiobook performance by Kate Rudd. I'd easily give the audio narration of this book 5 stars hands down, and I wouldn't hesitate to listen to it again for the strength of that performance because she infuses a lot of personality and emotion into each character. It's an experience I probably would not have gotten had I chosen to read the print book alone. That being said, when I start getting into the actual story for its barest bones and articulations, my thoughts get more complicated because I'm on the fence for several different presentations here.

The story centers on Aza (nicknamed Holmesy), a young woman for whom this book is - chiefly - an exploration into her daily struggles with a compulsive disorder and subsequent anxiety . Think a slice-of-life drama with an attempt towards various character explorations and quirky introspective and tortuous existential interludes. If there's something I've learned to expect from John Green's books at this point - all of his stories feature familiar traits that are characteristic to his particular narrative style and preferences - a lightness and darkness that intertwines in quick bursts that you never really know what directions it'll go at a given point in time. In some ways, that's fine because it's part of his own narrative voice and leaning for the stories he wants to tell (and I'd say more power to him on that individual choice). At the same time - you wonder how many stories about manic pixie dream girls, over the top ruminations and psychosocial monologues it takes before such distinctive plot features become repetitious and cliche. While the inclusion of such elements in themselves may not necessarily be a bad thing, if they overshadow the unique traits, narrative pacing, and emotional resonance in an individual story from hitting hard as they should for impact, then that's a problem. I'll stress keeping that latter point in mind as I'm working through this review, because it's a point I'll revisit as I'm recounting my reaction to "Turtles All The Way Down" as a whole. I should note I had a lot of trouble getting behind "The Fault in Our Stars" for this same reason, among others.

Aza's a protagonist whom, considering the whole of the book - I related to in many moments. "Turtles" does a fine job of giving a bird's eye view of what it's like to be consumed by your thoughts in overwhelming spurts due to the cyclical nature of anxiety, specifically what seems to be a part of her having OCD (though I don't ever recall Aza mentioning her particular diagnosis, just that in many measures she thought of herself as being "crazy" - which is problematic for more reasons than one.) Aza's scatterbrained, particular to microbial lifeforms and potentially being infected to the point of possibly becoming terminally ill. There are times when she recognizes her tangential thoughts as irrational, but you see the pull of her compulsion so acutely that it's hard for her to resist. Her relationships with her family and friends take center stage in this story as well. Aza struggles in the aftermath of her father's absence and in the presence of her mother's constant worry, her therapist's seemingly cool analysis of her situations, and attempting to follow her best friend Daisy's flights of fancy (between Daisy working Chuck E Cheese's, writing Star Wars fanfic, and taking trips to Applebee's with an annoyed familiar waitress).

Some bit scenes I had a good few laughs from, but I could definitely see moments where the narrative sagged from the tangents taken by the characters (some of which I think were covers for plot issues, which I'll get to in a minute). The quirky voicing sometimes feels too similar for all the characters, which makes it wearing when you notice the - sometimes subtle, sometimes overt - "manic pixie dream girl" character type that floats through the narrative on more than one occasion and with more than one character. This also becomes more apparent with the introduction of Davis, potential love interest of Aza's as she (alongside Daisy) pursues an odd mystery surrounding the disappearance of Davis's father.

*still writing, long review* ...more

12 likes · Like · see review

Oct 08, 2019 Radwa rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, contemporary

This is the story of Aza, who's struggling with OCD, and trying to be the best daughter and friend while trying to conquer the spiraling hurtful thoughts that overcome her, convincing her that she can't lead a normal life, while trying to find a missing millionaire.

My main problem with John Green (even though I adore his writing) is that he keeps writing young adults, I could see him writing new adult or college aged characters, or even adults. I can't understand why he wouldn't do that, at leas ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2018 Mom2triplets04 rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own-read, 2017-amazon-best-books

Wanted to finish this in 2017 but ran out of time. Enjoyed the friendship between Aza and Daisy. The mystery plot was a bit far fetched but it kept me reading. I learned some things about anxiety, OCD and hypochondria. Aza finds her first love and how she deals with all the germs. Sad ending but no tears.

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 25, 2017 Summer rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club, audiobook, 2017

There's a lot to like about John Green and a fair bit to be critical of. I appreciate his efforts to deconstruct the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in Looking for Alaska and for giving us a more honest look at teen mortality in A Fault in Our Stars. Turtles All the Way Down, however, is more of a miss for me. Perhaps I shouldn't be looking for realism in YA, but it frustrates me that we keep selling kids and young adults the idea that fantasies will solve their problems rather than building skills. I me There's a lot to like about John Green and a fair bit to be critical of. I appreciate his efforts to deconstruct the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in Looking for Alaska and for giving us a more honest look at teen mortality in A Fault in Our Stars. Turtles All the Way Down, however, is more of a miss for me. Perhaps I shouldn't be looking for realism in YA, but it frustrates me that we keep selling kids and young adults the idea that fantasies will solve their problems rather than building skills. I mean, don't we all have (view spoiler)?

The one thing I did appreciate about this book, however, was the way mental illness was addressed. (view spoiler)

The last quibble I have is the way the novel ended. (view spoiler)

Overall this was miss for me, but Green definitely gets credit for trying. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2018 Karin rated it it was amazing

This is not my typical five star book. I was leaning toward four but it grew to five for its compassion to the mind of those who suffer with mental illness and loss. I don’t think I’ve ever read an accurate account of how the mind plays tricks on itself but yet is itself. Having struggled with depression I know how hard your own mind is to explain to someone who isn’t you. Well done John Green. Hopefully it helps others see how the struggle is not straightforward.

1 like · Like · see review

May 20, 2018 Tippy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fictional-biography-memoir, 2018, diversity-in-all-forms-group

This book does a great job of creating empathy for folks living with mental disorders like OCD. It takes a stab at describing the indescribable and gives you a glimpse at what it must be like to live with a condition like OCD. Very well done.

That being said, the story itself wasn't very interesting. This is a book driven by its wonderful characters, not the mystery or plot. Still worth reading though.

I loved this quote:

"The arc of the story goes like this: Having descended into proper madness, I ...more

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