Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Pages: 286

Intended Audience: Teens

Genre: Contemporary

Notes for Parents: Contains some coarse language and mature scenes.

The Inside Cover

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

This book was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction in 2017.

What’s good?

Aza is living with a mental illness that sees her thoughts spiral out of control at a moment’s notice. Davis is sad and lonely, and tasked with caring for his brother after their billionaire father disappears. Aza and Davis rekindle their childhood friendship when Aza’s friend Daisy insists they try to solve the disappearance of Davis’ father (so they can get the reward). The characters are interesting. The plot is simple and easy to follow. There are several moments in the story that will make you stop and think. Themes include friendship, romance, grief, mental illness, and family. The ending is satisfying.

Best Part: Tua the Tuatara.

What isn’t good?

I don’t know where to start. I didn’t hate this book, but it was really hard to like because there was just so much going on. Many things were introduced that seemed to have no bearing on the main story itself – the tuatara, the cash, finding Davis’ dad, and Daisy’s fan fiction to name a few. Aza’s narration, and her friends’ dialogue, lacked realism because it was permeated with words like “permeated,” “declarative,” “refutation,” and “decamped.” I don’t know many adults that talk like they do let alone teenagers. And they all seemed to specialize in a certain knowledge – Davis knew astronomy, Mychal knew art, Aza knew parasites and bacteria. It was all too much too take in. If the story had just been about Aza dealing with her OCD, or Davis dealing with his missing father, it would have been much more enjoyable. Nothing felt important. Everything felt like filler. I couldn’t relate to anything that was happening.

Worst part: Holmesy.

Recommendation ☺☺☻☻☻ (2/5)

This book had too much. There was a little bit about living with a mental illness, some romance, a trace of mystery, random philosophizing, and a moment of friendship woes. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough of any of those things to make a memorable story. Throw in some pretentious vocabulary, a directionless plot, and very little character development, and you have this story. John Green fans might like it, but this is not his best work.

Green, John. Turtles All the Way Down. New York: Dutton Books, 2017. (Hardcover)