Turtles All The Way Down ~ John Green
It has taken me a couple of days to work out what I want to say about this book. I finished ‘Turtles All The Way Down’ by John Green two days ago and was a little lost for words if I am honest. I still don’t think that I have all the words I want to use but I am going to give it a try without waffling on too much. I have read pretty much every John Green book and when this book initially came out a few years ago I wasn’t rushing to read it straight away but after picking up a copy recently in a local supermarket I thought I’d give it a try. And to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I would probably go as far as saying this is definitely my favourite John Green book of all time. Many, in the past and now, have criticised the way Green writes and in the past, I have seen that with some of his previous stories but ‘Turtles All The Way Down’ is just something else. A book so poignantly written that I think will resonate with many people who suffer from a mental illness.
The book is narrated by troubled Indianapolis teenager Aza and follows her struggles with the tightening spirals of her mind. A missing local billionaire leads her into the arms of an old childhood friend Davis Pickett. Gaining clues along the way in the search for the missing father, Aza struggles to keep the investigation and her personal life from falling apart. With the voice in her head saying one thing and her heart another she often battles with her beliefs of what’s right or wrong. Alongside the investigation, Aza is also having problems with her worried mum and fan-fic obsessed best friend Daisy. All while the spirals in her mind are getting out of control.
From the start it does feel very much like a cliche teen novel, ticking many trope boxes. As the investigation continues and Aza starts to fall for her old friend you can see that this is not what is meant to be the focal point of this book. Aza’s spiralling mental health revolves heavily around bacteria and infection. Hence, why she struggles with the normalities of teenage life. Like kissing someone you like without worry about all the bacteria now in your system.
Having suffered from anxiety in the past this book definitely struck a chord with me. I almost hated the fact that whilst reading the whole time it felt like you were having a panic attack but because it was so beautifully written but all over the place at the same time it all sort of just made sense. Some people have commented that this is one of the reasons they didn’t like the book because it felt too raw and close to home. But honestly, it made me almost feel included and not alone. That someone else, albeit a fictional character, felt how I did. Also, the fact that Green himself suffers from OCD shows that some of this is being taken from personal experience. Obviously, everyone’s experience with mental health is different from the next person so I can see why some people may have disliked the book.
One thing I will say is that the narration can feel a little repetitive at times but that is understandable for a narrator that suffers from repetitive thoughts. However, this did make the book feel somewhat a long read for a relatively short book of 286 pages. Along the way you do get used to this style of narrative and by the end of the book, I wanted the story to keep going. I will admit that I was a little choked reading the final few pages but not because I was sad. But because it felt like someone finally understood my thoughts and had put them into words. It makes you feel like you’re no longer on the outside looking in but part of this madness we live in.
I completely understand why this may not be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s absolutely fine. But for me, it’s by far the best book I’ve read this year and I’m sure I’ll enjoy rereading it in the future. So it is probably no shock that I’m giving ‘Turtles All The Way Down’ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.
M🌸
