WARNING This book may include: gay people, straight people, GSAs, a fabulous musical, the cutest couple ever, texting, a giant, enough brilliant quotes to fill a book, obscure but awesome music references, swing-sets, dead cats, water polo players, cheesy poetry, and general awesomeness.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is not the world’s gayest book, and it is not the world’s best book, but I believe it may be the world’s best book that is really, really, gay, and also the world’s gayest book that is also really, really, awesome. WGWG is about two teenage guys with completely different lives, aside from two things:
1. Being named Will Grayson.
2. Unintentionally showing up in a porn store called Frenchy’s.
Andbutso, this chance meeting in an unlikely place brings together the stories of these two dramatic teens, ultimately improving both of their lives, and making for a fantastic book.
Andbutso, this chance meeting in an unlikely place brings together the stories of these two dramatic teens, ultimately improving both of their lives, and making for a fantastic book.
Somehow, in 310 short pages, John Green and David Levithan managed to make me laugh, think, and feel, all while challenging my fundamental beliefs about nosepicking, friendship, and what constitutes a good book. Having read the rest of John Green’s books, I was starting to get the impression that to be truly poignant and insightful a book also had to be tragic, anything else is just entertainment. And so, as this book started out on a high-ish note of humor and gaiety. I kept expecting it to take a turn for the serious.
It didn’t though, with little exception of a small break-up, friendship issues, Maybe Dead Cats, etc. The mood of this book only goes up, increasing in excitement until the end comes, all too soon. I realize now that “Love and truth (are) tied together… They make each other possible.” Some truths are painful; cancer, suicide, goodbyes, etc. Andbutso we love books that can talk about them. Will Grayson, Will Grayson does not. Instead, it tells truths about friendship and love in a way that serious books would be envious of.
As if that weren't brilliance enough, this work of genius proves itself even further by being grounded. Too often, books (and people) take subjects like homosexuality and depression as their banner cause, glorifying and exaggerating them to make a point. WGWG, on the other hand, shows the reality of a depressed person and the day to day of a gay. It shows them in real life, as part of a bigger story, and that’s far more important than any amount of soapbox preaching.
As if that weren't brilliance enough, this work of genius proves itself even further by being grounded. Too often, books (and people) take subjects like homosexuality and depression as their banner cause, glorifying and exaggerating them to make a point. WGWG, on the other hand, shows the reality of a depressed person and the day to day of a gay. It shows them in real life, as part of a bigger story, and that’s far more important than any amount of soapbox preaching.
but the thing i like most about this book is the unique writing style. the distinct personalities of the two wills makes this book sparkle in a way that could never be possible if it had just a single author. well, that and the shiny cover.
authorofawesome: we should write a book together.
flaminggenius: good idea. it’ll be fabulous.
and thus, the neil patrick harris of books was born. it’s that good.
Were it not for two distinct disappointments at the ending, this could very well be the Best Book Ever. One, it ended. I realize, of course, that this had to happen sometime, but but but that doesn't mean I have to accept it. I loved those characters and I wasn't ready to let go of them yet. Two, how it ended. Don’t get me wrong, the ending is brilliant and beautiful, perfect, even, but at the rate the story was going with insights and awesomeness, anything less than the definitive Meaning of Life would have been anticlimactic. As it is: 9.5/10
tl;dr: Read This Book.
My Condensed Review
Title: Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Author: John Green & David Levithan
Pages: 310
Genre: Upper YA Contemporary Fiction
Main Characters: Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and Tiny Cooper.
Perspective: Two Separate First-person Narratives
Themes: Love and Friendship
Pros: Fantastic writing styles, Insightful quotes, and Humorous wit, to name a few.
Cons: It ends. (Also language and homosexuality if you’re a bigot.)
Favorite Quote: "Some people have lives; some people have music."
Favorite Character: Jane, so cute.
Rating: 9.5/10
Recommended: Yes, read it immediately or you are a bad person.
If you have any comments/disagreements about my review or would like to suggest the next book for me to read, push the fabulous button below.
