Perspectives

The plot of John Green's novel The Fault in Our Stars (2012) is set in modern times. The two main characters, 16-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster and 17-year-old Augustus Waters, both live as only children in the city of Indianapolis in the state of Indiana in the USA ,where most of the novel takes place. They are both cancer patients. They meet by chance at a support group and fall in love at first sight.

Our thorough Perspective page deals with the origins of the novel as well as the writer's intention. We provide information on cancer in teenagers and on the two forms of cancer from which the main characters suffer, thyroid cancer and bone cancer, since this background information is important when it comes to gaining a better insight into the novel.

We then compare the book and the film. In this context, we will briefly examine how the film relates to the novel: The film follows the novel closely, but there are some differences in the presentation of the plot. Some scenes, secondary characters, and dialogues are missing in the film adaptation, which definitely has a milder tone and softens the harsh reality. Furthermore, we then discuss the reception of the film. 

In the last section, we take a closer look at the characteristics of young adult literature present in the novel. Finally, we talk about the reception and criticism of the novel. Overall, the Perspectives page provides broad and useful background knowledge as well as starting points for further analysis and interpretation of the novel.