Paper Towns and Why it Disappoints

Hey, this is Clara again and this month I will be reviewing Paper Towns by John Greene. This story follows and is narrated by Quentin Jacobsen, a high school senior in Orlando, California. He is an unpopular and quiet boy with a few close band geek friends, and has little to no variation in his life. Every day, he follows pretty much the exact same schedule, because he is comforted by routines. With only a few weeks left in the school year, his predictable life is turned upside down when Margo Roth Spiegelman, a girl he hasn’t talked to in nine years, takes him on an 11 step revenge plan in the middle of the night to get back at her cheating boyfriend, and disappears the next day.

Margo Roth Spiegelman is the most popular girl in school, and is known for being incredibly unpredictable. She is perfect in every way, or at least she is through Quentin’s eyes, as the reader is given no other perspective at the beginning of the book. Quentin and Margo were best friends until they were nine, when they both split off and went separate ways in the social hierarchy. Quentin worships her from afar at school, until she shows up in the middle of the night at his window. She asks him to drive her around as she gets revenge on her cheating boyfriend and friends, and in the process, liberates Quentin to break away from the comfort of his routine. When she first leaves school and home without a trace the following day, everybody assumes that she is just off on one of her many adventures. However, as days pass, it becomes clear that she is not coming back. Thus begins Quentin’s obsessive journey to find Margo, which leads to Quentin finding his identity as well (I apologize for that cheesiness).

Quentin’s behavior undergoes a few severe changes throughout the novel. At first, he doesn’t seem to care too deeply about anything, and is coasting through life in the background of his school. However, after his night with Margo and her disappearance, he becomes convinced that she left him clues to her whereabouts and wants him to find her. He casts off his conforming attitude and becomes more free spirited, similar to Margo’s behavior. He begins to miss school to look for her, and asserts himself more. However, he also becomes dangerously obsessive. He constantly thinks about Margo, and is absolutely certain that she wants him to come save her, not even thinking that Margo didn’t want to be found. He forces his friends to help him with his investigation, and gets frustrated with them when they talk about other topics besides Margo. Quentin becomes an unlikable character at this point in the book, and it is tedious to be dragged around on his wild goose chases to find a girl while his friends are doing things that sound more interesting, like going to prom. Eventually, when Quentin and his friends find Margo, he realizes that he doesn’t actually know the real Margo, and is just obsessed with the idea of her. When he and Margo go their separate ways, Quentin becomes a well rounded human being, as he lets go of strict routine, but also has the strength to let go of the obsession that caused him to become more free willed in the first place.

Though there were many aspects of this book that were well executed and meaningful, overall, I did not enjoy the book. It was tedious to get through, and I was happy when it was over. I think my disinterest in the book stemmed from the lack of connection with the main character, and lack of concern in what he wanted to accomplish. When the reader is introduced to Margo during the boyfriend revenge rampage, she seems likeable and funny, but for me, she did not seem worth scouring the entire country for, just to find that she didn’t want to be found in the first place. On the whole, the book had an engaging start and used interesting themes, however, it was not an enjoyable book to read.