An Imperial Affliction

A week has passed and Augustus Waters hasn’t called Hazel Grace, making her feel sad and confused at the same time; but it didn’t last for too long, he called and they discussed and talked about Hazel’s favorite book that was called An Imperial Affliction. Right before they were going to hang up, Augustus tells her that he was able to reach the author of the book through email so she could ask him questions about the ending of the book and the only answer she gets is that the only way to know that is talking to him face to face in Amsterdam. One day Augustus was waiting on Hazels house with flowers and took her on a picnic were he told her that he was willing to use a wish provided to kids with cancer and go to Amsterdam together were they were going to meet the author she has always wanted to see. Her parents and doctor gave her permission as long as her mother went with her. That night she goes to sleep with all the excitement in her body but wakes up with a terrible pain in her head so she has to be taken to the hospital immediately; Hazel was able to leave the hospital six days later.

“I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would like to minimize the casualties” (99).

This is a moment were Hazel is thinking about her life and the consequences that she would bring to the world if she passed away. It would not only hurt her family but also Augustus like her ex-girlfriend that had cancer did to him as well. Hazel’s main problem was her parents, she loved them so much and really wanted to stay with them forever but mostly, she never wanted to hut them when she died.  This quote is said in a metaphoric way used to compare her disease with a grenade and how both can hurt so many people but in completely different ways; physically and emotionally.

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once” (125).

I found this quote very interesting because it is used to explain love and Hazel’s feelings towards Augustus in an unusual yet interesting way. It explains how slowly and then how fast a person falls in love with someone else and ends up being very effective in a relationship. Two people really need to love each other in order to have a nice relationship.  Augustus and Hazel both fell in love with each other after a lot of time of spending together and sharing experiences and memories with each other.

Final Thoughts

In this book we can see how a small thing two people share in common can lead to much more that a small friendship. In this case, Hazel and Augustus both share this interest for the book, An Imperial Affliction and how that led to a lot more than just a friendship between them. Thanks to the book they plan a trip to Amsterdam and they begin to know each other more and more throughout the book. I predict that the book will continue in Amsterdam were Hazel is going to be able to meet the famous author of his favorite book with Augustus Waters by her side.