Here’s a story of a girl suffering with mental illness. As she simultaneously deals with her own world, she then realized that her world is indeed an intense place.

Hello there! Here’s a quick post on my thoughts about Turtles All The Way Down—which I can assure spoiler free. I managed to finish reading this as quickly as I could, in spite of how busy I was last week.

Until now, I still can’t put into words the feeling I got after reading this or how beautiful the book is, and I’m probably trying my best now to virtually express it as much as I can. The book is such an inspiring space for everyone to immerse into. It is something people should give time with, notwithstanding the fact that it’s only a novel. Only a novel. But the fact that the book consists of certain self-awareness gives much of a help for people to acknowledge it sensibly.

It is a good thing to know that John Green came up to the idea about mental health awareness. I suppose it is triggering for readers to understand now that mental illness is not something that should only be shrugged off. Seriously, the book itself is more of a way for people to walk into the space of mental health journey.

Anyway, I like how John Green makes his characters smart. Sixteen-year-old protagonist, Aza is way too smart for her age, but to some degree it’s stimulating to such extent that she has been suffering anxiety and mental illness—that which somehow makes her more of a real person here. Like, let’s be real. Teenagers are more prone for depression or with such mental illness because of their developing minds, and that’s kinda relatable. I’ve been there. Once upon a time, I was dying to know much more beyond this life and I thought of something crazy and threatening: dying was the only way. Yes, but as I think about it again, it’s no longer fear or anxiety that I feel, but acceptance that life is perhaps controlled by nature. And you cannot do anything about that or how it works. You just have to live in the present and at least make it the best life as much as possible.

Also, it helps me more to appreciate the book because of Davis Pickett. The romance of Aza and Davis is ultimately exciting, and although Aza is dealing with her spiral, Davis is the kind of guy who understands that. It happens that Davis is also dealing with his personal life-loss. But the story doesn’t only revolve around the two. First chapters would make you think that the book is only about that one plot — where the girl meets the guy, but actually it’s not. As you try to apprehend Aza’s life, it’s not her intense mind that makes her lost in her own world, it’s the demon that makes spiral and results whirlpool around her head. It is what the title is about anyway, turles all the way down.

Loss of loved ones, anxiety, and friendship are the things John Green is trying to reach his readers to make them understand how such things really work.