A book should be simple right?
It’s just a bunch of pages with scribbles in them. Nothing special whatsoever. I think we both know that’s not true at all.
Books carry messages and themes and motifs that we can relate to. They hold the
power to make us laugh in the middle of class during a test or make us sob
uncontrollably at three am. It’s kind of like when you read an Imperial
Affliction. The book suddenly meant so much more than a thing with words in it,
it was something kind of magical. That’s how I, and a lot of other people, feel
about your story.
Your story. You deserve way more than the number of pages you got. But then I think about how many stories I've read and the lengths of each one. A short book doesn't suck because it's short. In fact, it can be amazing, full of wonder and myriads of great feats. And that super big and long book in the corner of the library, it could be the most boring thing in the history of the world. So maybe it’s not about how long your story is, but what you do with the words and pages you have? And I have to say you've done a remarkable job. I guess Gus, we just get lucky with time, with our talents and whatever, but in the end it doesn't matter if you don’t do something with it. I know you wanted to change the world, and make people remember you. In the end you did. You changed Hazel’s world, Isaac’s world, your parents’, maybe even Peter Van Houten kind of.And I think that, that is more than enough. Changing,impacting,influencing people for the better,well I think,and I’m sure many people will agree with me when I say,that’s a great way to live life.
And outside of the book, in reality, you did leave your mark on the world. I mean come on, your trending on Twitter. Obviously people like you. Like a lot.I guess the important thing isn't that people will remember your name but who you were as a person and your personality and whatnot. So thanks for being awesome. Don’t let that go to your head okay? Good. In the book it took 172 pages for all us readers to fall in love with you. And now you've made so many more people fall in love with you. Maybe it’s because you remind people that nice people still exist. Or maybe they just really like your somewhat pretentious but still lovable metaphors. I’m voting for the latter one.What can I say? I’m a sucker for guys who use figurative language in their day to day lives.
I'm writing this at 1:00 am and I just ate a box of starbursts and I’m crying. Now I’m a professional fangirl and I tend to overreact just a tad when it comes to my favorite books and my favorite characters. Just ask anyone of my friends. But see the thing is characters,to me and a lot of other people, aren't just words on a page,people on a screen. They’re real people. They are as real as the book sitting on my desk and the person living next door to me.So you were my friend while I read the book and watched the movie and even after, and maybe I sound a little weird when I say this, but like I said I get overly attached to characters and I wouldn't have it any other way. Not because I don’t have friends. Because I do, I totally do. But because I love being connected to those whom I read about. There are some fictional deaths that you just can’t get over. Yours is one of them. Maybe it’s because you seemed so real, or because we could all relate to you. But either way your death broke our hearts. It was like losing a friend. But you, you reminded us that we don’t need to do amazing things to be amazing we just have to be good people and be remarkable for the people we love. And that’s more than enough.
I've been thinking a lot about what Hazel said about infinities. About how some infinities are smaller than others. I agree with her. Sometimes forevers aren’t forever and sometimes they far longer than eternity. I’m so happy that you got a small infinity with Hazel, your perfect girl. I guess what I’m trying to say is that each one of us who read this book, or saw the movie, or both, got to part of this small little infinity too. We got a mini infinity filled with Hazel’s words, your metaphors and Isaac's humor. And I guess I’m thankful for that. I think we all are.
So Gus, I wrote you this letter because I needed you to know what you and this story meant to me and people like me. And you mean a lot to us. You've all shown us what a great life is and what it needs to be and what it doesn't. This letter is kind of jumbled and all over the place but it’s like you said, “My thought are stars I cannot fathom into constellations". Gus, what is there left to say but you made me smile more than any other book character ever and like I said before, I’m glad John Green wrote this book and gave us readers a small infinity with you and Hazel.
Your story. You deserve way more than the number of pages you got. But then I think about how many stories I've read and the lengths of each one. A short book doesn't suck because it's short. In fact, it can be amazing, full of wonder and myriads of great feats. And that super big and long book in the corner of the library, it could be the most boring thing in the history of the world. So maybe it’s not about how long your story is, but what you do with the words and pages you have? And I have to say you've done a remarkable job. I guess Gus, we just get lucky with time, with our talents and whatever, but in the end it doesn't matter if you don’t do something with it. I know you wanted to change the world, and make people remember you. In the end you did. You changed Hazel’s world, Isaac’s world, your parents’, maybe even Peter Van Houten kind of.And I think that, that is more than enough. Changing,impacting,influencing people for the better,well I think,and I’m sure many people will agree with me when I say,that’s a great way to live life.
And outside of the book, in reality, you did leave your mark on the world. I mean come on, your trending on Twitter. Obviously people like you. Like a lot.I guess the important thing isn't that people will remember your name but who you were as a person and your personality and whatnot. So thanks for being awesome. Don’t let that go to your head okay? Good. In the book it took 172 pages for all us readers to fall in love with you. And now you've made so many more people fall in love with you. Maybe it’s because you remind people that nice people still exist. Or maybe they just really like your somewhat pretentious but still lovable metaphors. I’m voting for the latter one.What can I say? I’m a sucker for guys who use figurative language in their day to day lives.
I'm writing this at 1:00 am and I just ate a box of starbursts and I’m crying. Now I’m a professional fangirl and I tend to overreact just a tad when it comes to my favorite books and my favorite characters. Just ask anyone of my friends. But see the thing is characters,to me and a lot of other people, aren't just words on a page,people on a screen. They’re real people. They are as real as the book sitting on my desk and the person living next door to me.So you were my friend while I read the book and watched the movie and even after, and maybe I sound a little weird when I say this, but like I said I get overly attached to characters and I wouldn't have it any other way. Not because I don’t have friends. Because I do, I totally do. But because I love being connected to those whom I read about. There are some fictional deaths that you just can’t get over. Yours is one of them. Maybe it’s because you seemed so real, or because we could all relate to you. But either way your death broke our hearts. It was like losing a friend. But you, you reminded us that we don’t need to do amazing things to be amazing we just have to be good people and be remarkable for the people we love. And that’s more than enough.
I've been thinking a lot about what Hazel said about infinities. About how some infinities are smaller than others. I agree with her. Sometimes forevers aren’t forever and sometimes they far longer than eternity. I’m so happy that you got a small infinity with Hazel, your perfect girl. I guess what I’m trying to say is that each one of us who read this book, or saw the movie, or both, got to part of this small little infinity too. We got a mini infinity filled with Hazel’s words, your metaphors and Isaac's humor. And I guess I’m thankful for that. I think we all are.
So Gus, I wrote you this letter because I needed you to know what you and this story meant to me and people like me. And you mean a lot to us. You've all shown us what a great life is and what it needs to be and what it doesn't. This letter is kind of jumbled and all over the place but it’s like you said, “My thought are stars I cannot fathom into constellations". Gus, what is there left to say but you made me smile more than any other book character ever and like I said before, I’m glad John Green wrote this book and gave us readers a small infinity with you and Hazel.
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