Looking for Alaska

If you haven't yet read this book by John Green, let me first tell you Alaska is not a state, Alaska is a girl. She is not missing and being searched for. I found the title a bit misleading untill I finished the book. So, ignore the title and just read this amazing book.

The book is divided into two sections, before and after. In "before" Miles (the main character) begins his search for the "Great Perhaps" at Culver Creek Boarding School. He is pretty much completely obsessed with last words so that explains "Great Perhaps" (Francois Rabelais) and also spends a lot of time pondering the meaning of the words that were said. At this school he befriends Colin, a.k.a. The Colonel, who nicknames him "Pudge" because he is the opposite of pudgy. The Colonel also introduces Pudge to Alaska. Alaska is reckless, self destructive but beautiful, and Pudge falls in love with her.

When a book includes love usually one would assume that in the end both character share their love and end up together after all the obstacles they overcome. This book ends much differently than expected.

Alaska is really troubled. Not only does she drink and smoke, she had a really rough childhood. Her mother died of a brain aneurysm right in front of her eyes. She just stood there and watched because she was really young but also too afraid to call the police. She also thought her mother might just be sleeping. At first when her father came home and saw his wife dead on the floor he blamed Alaska for her death. In the book it does say that he only blamed her at first but Alaska hasn't gotten over it and blames herself for the death. Alaska tells Pudge this story and it gives him a better understanding of her. She also feels regret for the expulsion of her old room mate. She tells about how she was caught for breaking a rule on campus and was to be expelled by "The Eagle" unless she rats one somebody else. Alaska happened to know that her room mate was drunk and naked her room with a guy and ratted on them without even hesitating. She only told Pudge about this (proving to the reader that she has a strong connection with him.)

When Pudge arrives at the school near the beginning of the book he is tied up with duct tape and thrown in to a creek. Pudge's life was seriously in danger but managed to get out alive. The prankers who did this were known as the Weekday Warriors. Much of the rest of the book is spent pranking and plotting against the warriors. Pudge get a girlfriend named Lara but his feeling for Alaska never change. Alaska has a boyfriend through the entire book who she claims to love and never admits to having feelings for Pudge (that I remember...) Near the end of "before" Alaska, Pudge, and The Colonel play truth or dare. Alaska dares Pudge to "hook up" with her and eventually they stop making out when she says she's tired. The Colonel was really drunk and watched the whole time I guess. Then when they have all fallen asleep Alaska was woken up by her phone and seemed to get really upset and asks Pudge to distract "The Eagle" so she can leave. Alaska was really drunk but nobody stopped her from driving.

"After" starts by The Eagle" waking the school up and having everyone come to the gym. he announced that Alaska had died in a car crash. Alaska's BLA was .24 which is ridiculously drunk so the chance of a crash was likely but the cops say that she didn't even swerve her car. Alaska was always a little unpredictable and troubled by events in her past so Pudge and The Colonel investigated if her death was suicide. Though the reason for her death never is truly certain, it was clear to me that she caused her own death. It explains that her boyfriend had called to celebrate their 8 month anniversary. She remembered that her mother's date of death was the day before and she forgot. She rushed to the store to buy white tulips because her mother used to put while flowers behind her ear, so white flowers are really important to her. She hoped that by rushing to her mothers grave her mother would forgive her for forgetting (maybe also for not calling the police, too) but she never made it. On the way she crashed right into a police car. I believe that at the moment before arriving at the police car she felt absolute despair and decided that the only way out of her suffering was death. Throughout the book Alaska thinks about these last words: ""How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?" (Simón Bolívar.) Alaska and Pudge decide that by saying labyrinth, he means suffering and he asks how to escape it. This quote influence Alaska a lot throughout the book.

About the title-  Throughout "after" Pudge and The Colonel search for Alaska (well, the search for how she felt and what went on that night.) All they knew was that she was drunk, upset after being on the phone, and dead.

I really like how the book didn't really focus on any love story. It was full of humor and brilliant pranks. It doesn't stress any one's physical relationship. It focused much more on emotions and what made the character's the way they are.

on a scale of 1-10...

Looking for Alaska gets a 7.9

I LOVED the ending

I LOVED the characters

I LOVED the author's writing style

I LOVED the story

I wish there was more going on in the story and wish it was just a bit more descriptive about people and places.

I REALLY WANT TO GIVE IT AN 8... but I'm not sure it's there. It might just not be my genre.