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Quentin Jacobson, a Florida high school senior, has had a life-long infatuation with his neighbour, the awesome Margo Roth Spiegelman. Despite their childhood friendship, and the shared experience of discovering a dead body as young children, the beautiful, charismatic, and mysterious Margo operates well beyond Q’s social strata. After years with no 
contact between them, Margo enters Q’s room one night and takes him with her on a magical night of pranks and acts of revenge which includes a break-in to Sea World. This is the night that will change Q’s life forever.
Margo’s subsequent disappearance and Q’s determination to find her becomes the focus of the book. Helping him in this quest, although sometimes unwillingly, are his best friends Radar and Ben. Q’s mission to find Margo becomes a journey of self-discovery and growth. The characters are vividly developed with interesting personalities who share the kind of bond that most teenagers strive to experience with their friends.
The middle third of the book has a slightly different tone than the other segments of the book. Q becomes more philosophical as he delves into the clues provided by Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” in his determination to locate Margo. The story slows down and the focus is weighted towards the more internal musings that propel Q in his voyage of self-discovery. The action picks up and the story takes on more comedic dimensions in the final third of the book, in one of the funniest road-trips in Young Adult literature.
John Green’s writing is sharp, insightful, and uproariously funny. The combination of humour with memorable and wonderful characters make this book a wonderful and compulsive read. Green’s insights make this book an entertaining and intelligent experience. Green is currently writing the screenplay for the upcoming movie.
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I just finished reading this book on the weekend myself, and was contemplating drafting a review of it when I noticed yours. I think your review describes the book extremely well! I laughed out loud at one point during the road trip – but couldn’t explain why to those around me because my description just wouldn’t have been as entertaining as Green’s writing. I enjoyed the mystery aspect of this novel — there was enough information to make a guess at the ending, but never obvious enough to figure it out entirely … I was pondering the clues, right along with Q.
Comment by lakeside October 14, 2009 @ 2:17 amHe’s such a terrific writer – he has a wonderful ability to combine humour, insight, and characters that you think about long after the book is finished. And wasn’t that road trip a hoot? The pacing was perfect and the relationship between Q, Ben, Radar, and Lacy, was beautiful. (Didn’t you love the black character Radar wearing a Dixie t-shirt from the South?)
I hope the brilliance of the book won’t make the movie a disappointment.
Comment by purpleharp October 14, 2009 @ 3:13 amSounds like an adventurous fun-filled (but meaningful) romp!
Comment by Sarah October 14, 2009 @ 2:40 amAnother must-read to add to our list.
Thanks!