Will Grayson, Will Grayson

by John Green and David Levithan

[clementine]

I honestly really, really, really like this book, and I think I would like it even more if I weren't comparing it to John Green's other books - because let's get real, once you've read LFA and Paper Towns and TFiOS, everything else kind of gets blown out of the water.

I think I just like books with two narratives that collide. You can look through my various reviews and see that that is, most decidedly, a literary device that I enjoy. (See 1Q84, Everything Is Illuminated, Geek Love, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Pure, Where Things Come Back, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, and Holes.) When it's done well, it can be so surprising and effective. This wasn't even done particularly masterfully; it's obvious the two Will Graysons will meet. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

There are other surprises in the story, and I think what I like best is that both Wills grapple with very different issues in their own lives, yet there are parallels between the two of them. While both of them have aspects of romance in their stories, I think the book is overall about friendship, and Tiny Cooper - who, let's be real, is the central character - facilitates this to a large degree. Both experience the trials and tribulations of friendships in very different ways, but it is an overarching theme.

There's a certain degree of inevitability to the book, as well. It's inevitable that Will Grayson and will grayson will meet; it's inevitable that Will Grayson and Jane will get together; it's inevitable that will grayson and Tiny Cooper will break up once they're together. I don't think any of those things are surprises, nor are they supposed to be. It's the tender way in which they're approached that makes the book resonate.

The two writing styles blend together really well. John Green definitely has his sarcastic, eloquent teenage boy thing going on (although I do think Will is distinct from Q, Colin, and Pudge in various ways that I won't get into), and Levithan adds a completely different character into the mix. Their styles are different, for sure, but not so different that it feels like reading two books. They're both genuinely funny writers, I think. I liked both parts equally and I liked them together.

Seriously - this is a good book. It hits all the right notes. I think that some of the background characters are a little underdeveloped (and while I like Tiny, he is a bit too much of a very loud, very flamboyant stereotype for my liking), and the conclusion, while awesome, is completely ridiculous, but I'm not just keeping Will Grayson, Will Grayson around because I like my John Green collection to be complete.