Will Grayson, Will Grayson: Book Review

[I've only been working on this post for three months. My brain was pretty dead for a while there. Stop judging me.]

The cover is so smooooooooooth...

It may have come to your attention that I pretty much only blog about things that I like, so it probably won't surprise you to learn that I really love this book.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson was a book written by John Green, A.K.A Ruler of the Internet, and was also co-written by some guy called David Levithan (I'm just kidding, David Levithan is also remarkable, and to be honest, his half of the book touched me just as much, if not more, than John Green's half). (For those who don't know, John Green wrote about Will Grayson; David Levithan wrote about will grayson).

It is about two kids, who live completely separate lives that have nothing to do with each other, except they're both called Will Grayson. Until eventually they meet, their lives touch, and ultimately, their lives change.

Which makes it sound super corny but you have to take my word for it that this book is utterly engaging and sincere.

First of all, I've said this about John Green and I will say it again about this book as well, he knows how to write teenagers. I'm reading it and I'm like wow, these guys get me. So, yeah, I've touched on that before, and obviously for this book that credit doesn't all go to John Green because again, I was also touched by David Levithan's half, I just wanted to put it out there because it's important to me.

I love the complexity of the book. Not like it's hard to follow, or like it's a complicated storyline or anything, but just, the depth of the characters and the issues they're dealing with and how they interact with each other is just so.... complex. And there's interesting thematic devices used, and there's interesting characterization, and basically, it's just a very interesting novel, from an english teacher perspective.

Interesting characterization example: the book is in first person. So, John Green's Will Grayson writes normally, the way we're used to seeing things written, the way our grade three teachers taught us things were supposed to be written, with proper capitalization and quotes and paragraphs. David Levithan's Will Grayson (if I refer to them anymore, Imma just call them J.G and D.L, 'kay?), on the other hand, doesn't write like that. he writes like this. it's a subtle difference, for sure, because there's nothing else too changed about it except for the lack of capitals. but nevertheless, it's jarring at first. is it jarring for you right now? funny thing is, you get used to it through the book. like, you notice it as an indication that d.l's will is the one telling the story, but it doesn't throw you off in the same way after a while.

the other thing is that his will doesn't use quotes to describe conversations, he just uses the same technique i use when quoting tv shows. that technique being:

me: stuff that i'm saying in a conversation
other guy: stuff that he's saying in a conversation

that's how it's written in the book.

And I'm going to start writing normal again, because when I do that, it just bothers me.

But it's characterization. It's lower-case, it's understated, because that's the kind of person will (deliberately lower-case when describing the character) thinks he is.

And basically, through the story, the two Wills are pretty much tied together through one character, Tiny Cooper, who is described as "not the biggest person on earth, and not the gayest person on earth, but the biggest person who is very very gay". J.G Will is his best friend, and D.L Will becomes his boyfriend.

So, already, homosexuality is a thing. I really love what they did with that. Because it's not like Tiny and Will don't encounter homophobia - they do - but it's not their main issue. They don't care what other people think, and besides, they're both surrounded by people who accept them and don't care about their sexuality (Tiny more so than Will, but that's part of Will's growth, is finding real friends who accept him and don't act like total bitches. Excuse me, is my intense anger towards one of the characters showing?). Which is pretty much all I've encountered in the high school environment. I just think it's realistic, and plus, it's a nice way to avoid the retelling of the "I exile you from my family because you are gay, the power of Christ compels you" type story, because, tragic as that story is, and common as it may possibly turn out to be (I really wouldn't know), it's just not interesting, due to everyone having heard it a thousand times.

But what I find more interesting about Tiny Cooper are two facts that are not interesting separately but more interesting when put together. Fact 1: the story is never told from his perspective. Fact 2: he's the cohesion that ties the entire story together.

He brings J.G Will and Jane together. He brings D.L Will out of his little emo bubble. Ultimately, he brings the two Wills together (and others too...... I spoil nothing). And does he get any appreciation?

...
...

I'll leave that for you to decide after reading it, if you do.

But the thing is, you never really get a look inside his head. I mean, not really. He has a monologue to D.L Will which kinda tells about what it's like to be Tiny Cooper, but it's not really... it's not enough. Which is what makes the character interesting. Tiny Cooper is a significant presence at every turn, and yet, we never get a chance to look through his eyes. The purpose of this? He's character foil. For both Wills, incidentally, although the two Wills are quite different. And yet similar. Have I mentioned this book is kind of complex?

But the fact that he's character foil wouldn't, ordinarily, mean that we don't get a look inside his head, except part of the entire conflict of the story is seeing how the two Wills interact with him. The two Wills, who both try so hard to not care, are tied to Tiny Cooper, arguably the most emotional out of the lot of them (though I think a case could be made for J.G Will, too. HAVE I MENTIONED THIS BOOK IS COMPLEX?)

But, yes. For J.G Will, Tiny is foil for the fact that Will has made a point of not becoming invested in anything that happens, because as long as you don't care, you don't get hurt. And the first thing we learn about Tiny Cooper from J.G Will? Is that Tiny is constantly heart broken from yet another failed relationship. I completely adore J.G's first chapter, his whole bit with the "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose." Well, according to him, he can't pick his friends, as he wouldn't have chosen Tiny, and in fact, he must pick his friend's nose, as Tiny passed out drunk and Will was afraid he wouldn't be able to breathe. Bravo, John Green. Bravo indeed.

But the whole bit, it speaks to how sometimes he and Tiny really just don't get each other, emotionally, but in spite of this, Will still sees him as a good friend. A) I totally understand that dynamic, and B) the fact that they are foil for each other in a lot of ways.... it really highlights both their weaknesses and strengths, and makes the book a lot more interesting.

For D.L Will, Tiny is foil for the fact that Will is always trying to kind of hide himself, and who he is. After all, Will's first impression of Tiny is that he is huge and impossible to ignore and he completely embraces that, after all, as they stroll through the streets with Tiny belting songs from a musical he wrote... about himself (don't worry, it later became about LOVE - it was an important epiphany for Tiny). (He even changed the title from Tiny Dancer - because he's Tiny Cooper - to Hold Me Closer. Subtle, Tiny. Realllll subtle).

But mostly, I just really love.... realistic teenagers. God, we do not get enough of them. They are a pile of emotions, but they're still obviously really smart in their own separate ways, and they know, to an extent, who they are and who they want to be, but they're also discovering it and just, ugh, this book gets me. They talk like teenagers (which is to say, they are actually capable of speaking eloquently) and act like teenagers and it just gets me. (By the way, that's pretty much the main reason that this book isn't going to be turned into a movie. Apparently John Green was told by a Hollywood producer that, "The only thing that people hate more than smart teenagers are gay teenagers." Like, ugh, shut up already.)

Also, yay for post-meds depression representation! As someone with more than one friend who suffers from depression, it's nice to finally see a story that shows what happens after they've got their meds. It's not necessarily happy-ever-after after that. There's still every day coping. Representation of things like that is pretty important, I think.

I just love this book to death. It is smart and funny and rude and in-your-face and I LOVELOVELOVE IT TO DEATH.

I loved it so much I went out and bought my own copy after borrowing it from my friend. Because I just need it to be on my bookshelf 24/7.

Everyone should read it. It is the best.

Just awesome.

12 out of 10 would read again.