Review by Finola McLean of "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, at the start, presents itself as a typical teen mystery novel. By the end, it is perhaps anything but. After being motivated by her best friend Daisy, Aza is persuaded to start looking for a local missing billionaire, who happens to be the father of her old childhood friend, Davis Pickett, with whom she later develops a romantic connection. The story slowly evolves into a coming-of-age tale full of developing relationships, friendship struggles and emotional moments.

This book is incredibly well written and incredibly compelling. One of biggest complaints about this book is that "there is no plot"; however I think this actually works really well in the context of the narrative. The story does not have a clear climax or resolution but rather meanders and suddenly spikes and then continues, just like real life. It makes the book feel incredibly true and relatable to our own experiences (despite never hunting down a billionaire myself) and makes the characters feel very vivid and relatable for the intended audience. Worries about homework, upcoming college applications and money, permeating the story also add to this effect. I do enjoy that there is a satisfying conclusion to both the beginning mystery and the relationships that surround the protagonist, despite the atypical format of the rest of the book. I also like the insistence at the end of the book that, despite this chapter being over, there is truly no perfect ending and that life indeed just goes on with both the highs and the lows.

Still, in my opinion, the reason this book works so well is because of its characters and how their relationships evolve over the course of the story. Aza, the point-of-view character, is compelling and interesting, not because of any special characteristic but because of her normalcy and relatability while still being her own character with personality traits and flaws. She has both great  insight and great inexperience. This can especially be seen with her relationship to best friend Daisy which is a highlight of the book for me. The way they argue, without a clear correct view point, and the way they then make up again despite their differences is incredibly heartwarming and thought out extremely well.

One of the biggest talking points talking points about the novel is the depiction of the main character's mental illness, specifically obsessive compulsive disorder. This was probably the part of the novel I enjoyed the most. It is brilliantly executed. Because of the first person point of view, you are put into Aza’s mind and get a real sense of the torment that she faces everyday. And because of that she is incredibly humanised even in moments that would appear nonsensical to an outside observer.

All in all, this is a really great book that I would certainly recommend.

About the reviewer

Finola McLean is a sixth-form student currently studying History, Classical Civilisations and Latin at A-Level. She has a great passion for books and reading especially while sitting next to her cat.