The Fault in Our Stars

Green writes with an emotional intelligence many adult authors would envy. The story of Hazel and Augustus neither avoids pain nor turns it into sentimental pornography: it treats it with respect and humour, which is far harder to do. The book has helped many young people talk about death, which already justifies its existence. For adults it may feel somewhat schematic; for its intended audience, it is exactly what it needs to be.