* Under the same star: a different look on cancer *
The book Under the same star by John Green, which has been covered for the cinema, tells us about the day to day life of a young woman who has cancer. Beyond the illness or the events narrated in the novel, the author offers us an intimate perspective that highlights the complicated relationship of our adolescent with the disease and at the same time her serenity regarding her.
It is undoubtedly a dramatic, comic and romantic story that is worth reading. Under the Same Star it gives us a totally opposite view to what we might think when someone tells us the word "cancer".
"You gave me one forever in these few days and you do not know how grateful I am for our little infinite"
-Under the same star-
A novel about life and death
Under the same star ("The Fault in our stars", by its original title in English) is a novel that mixes the tragic with the romantic and tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who suffers from lung cancer and falls in love with a companion of the support group for cancer patients.
Hazel Grace Lancaster is the protagonist of this beautiful work that although for many belongs to the group of "youth literature" is worth reading no matter how old we are. The writer of the book, John Green, indicated that he chose the title due to a fragment of the play "Julio César" of Shakespeare:
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not of our stars, but of ourselves, that we consent to be inferior"
-Under the same star-
Something similar Hazel felt from the moment he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer that then expanded to the lungs and forces him to breathe oxygen through a cylinder that he carries with him everywhere. This bottle is a symbolic memory of her illness, which somehow she has tamed.
The teenager believes that at any time she will die and therefore agrees to attend meetings for cancer patients in the church in her neighborhood. According to his words he addresses the "literal heart of Jesus" since the appointment is in the basement of the temple.
Each week she is more hopeless and bored of listening to the same story as Patrick, the leader of the support group and who suffers from testicular cancer. She is so accustomed to finding out about the death of her classmates that she is no longer overwhelmed. And since she is not obliged to go to school, she stays at home always reading the same book: An Imperial Pain, by a Dutch writer. There is nothing that encourages you to leave your room.
But everything changes the day a boy named Augustus (Gus) appears in the meeting who lost a leg due to osteosarcoma.
"That's why I like you. You are so busy being you that you do not realize how original and wonderful you are "
Although Hazel does not think about the future or fall in love, little by little the relationship between both becomes stronger and the feelings more genuine. From here, we have no choice but to shut up and invite you to immerse yourself in the narrative of history.
Cancer also teaches us
Beyond fiction and the love story between Hazel and Gus, "Under the same star" leaves us with endless learning and morals. In the first place, he explains that despite suffering an advanced terminal illness we can find the space to love and be loved, to forgive and be forgiven or to fulfill our dreams and those of others.
In many paragraphs of the book, the protagonist states that she is tired and tired of suffering from cancer, that she would like to be a normal girl who has relationships with her boyfriend or that she can visit a museum with stairs but she should be satisfied with what she has and what she has touched "In luck". They are his "letters" and with them he has to "play"
He also says that he attends the support group because his parents ask him and he can not deny it. Especially her mother, who has left her job to take care of her during the illness; although if I had to choose I would prefer to stay in bed reading and not listening again and again to the sad stories in the "literal heart of Jesus".
Many times the relatives and friends of a cancer patient want to help him to move forward, to overcome the disease, to smile despite everything, to have dreams or imagine his future. However, they do not always succeed or their actions are well regarded by the sick person, even though they are really for their own good.
"Everyone should have a true love and at least it should last as long as their life"
-Under the same star-
Nobody is prepared to receive bad news related to health and not to face a disease as destructive as cancer, but at least we can understand that there are different ways to cope with a situation of these characteristics. How? Thanks to the look (fictional, but valid at the end) of the teenager in this book.
Under the same star you will tear many tears, make you laugh and above all reflect on our existence, our relationships, the way we see the world and what we do every day to fulfill our dreams.
Finally, a phrase that exceptionally reviews John Green's book, written by Markus Zusak (author of "The Book Thief"):
"A novel about life and death, and about those who are trapped between the two ... You will laugh, you will cry and you will be left wanting more"