He asks Hazel for a series of Pure Hangouts dates, reads her favorite book, stays up late on the phone with her, and slowly pulls her out of her shell. The 18-year-old whose basketball career was cut short when cancer gripped his right leg, but since then he seems to have recovered completely. "After some strong mild persuasion, he agreed to join a weekly church-basement support group hosted by Sapphire Jesus Frick Patrick (Mike Birbiglia). Her parents (Laura Darn, Sam Trammell) are a loving, loving couple who worry that Hazel is frustrated because she has no friends and spends her time endlessly writing the postmodern cancer-themed novel, "An Imperial Affliction," by the relentless author Peter Van Houten. The Fault in our Stars book Review :īased on John Green's best-selling novel, the film offers first-person accounts of Hazel Grace Lancaster (Woodley), a brilliant 16-year-old who hardly remembers surviving cancer.Īs a protg, he was dangerously close to death, but an experimental "miracle" treatment brought his disease back to a relatively manageable level: he had to breathe through a tube attached to an oxygen tank, which he carried around like a carrying bag, and no clear indication of his longevity. Lidwiz sees Gass's letter in Van Houten's fan mail and sends it back to Hazel. Eventually, Hazel learns that Goose wrote something for her just before her death and searches for torn pages from her notepad. Hazel encouraged him to write a sequel to the book. It also explains his hostility at their first meeting in Amsterdam, where Hazel reminded him too much to bring. After the funeral he met Peter van Houten, who had traveled to America specifically for the funeral She tells him that her own daughter died of cancer a few years ago, and she associates him with Anna, the protagonist of the Royal Affliction. Hazel delivers a death knell and tries to comfort the family. His condition is rapidly deteriorating and he suggests that Hazel and his best friend Isaac arrange a pre-funeral in his presence so that he can hear his own death.Įight days after the pre-funeral, Gus died.
He started vigorous therapy, but was given very little chance of survival. On his last day in Amsterdam, Gus tells Hazel that his tumor has returned to a more aggressive form. The three go to Anne Frank's house, where Hazel and Gus kiss for the first time. He refuses to answer young people's questions and treats them offensively, leading to the resignation of Lidewis and the departure of the young man from home. The meeting with Van Houten turned out to be frustrating, however, as his secretary, Ledwij Vlizenhart, arranged the trip without the knowledge of his employer, who had become a friendless, insane alcoholic. After lengthy discussions with parents and doctors, the two were allowed to travel to Amsterdam with Hazel's mother. She has a wish in an organization that caters to the heart desires of children with cancer (a fantasy version of the original Make-A-Wish Foundation), which she now wants to use for Hazel. She wants to fulfill her heart's desire, such as meeting Peter van Houten, the author of her favorite book, in Amsterdam During her recovery, Gus sees her several times, which reassures her that she is more than just a cause of pain for him. Hazel was hospitalized with severe pneumonia.
But Hazel wants to save Gus from the pain of his inevitable death - he thinks of himself as a "time bomb" that will eventually go off and hurt everyone around him - and decides to stop seeing him. The two spend more time together and their relationship becomes closer. She admires his simple-minded nature and how he copes with his cancer. To appease her parents, she joined a support group for cancer patients, where she met 17-year-old Augustus "Gus" Waters, who had to have a leg amputated due to a bone tumor. His favorite book is A Royal Sorrow by Peter Van Houten. Sixteen-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster had been suffering from thyroid cancer with metastasis to her lungs for three years, but was able to survive thanks to the use of a new drug.