The Fault in Our Stars Summary: Plot, Characters and Key Facts
The Fault in Our Stars is narrated by Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen-year-old with cancer, who falls in love with Augustus Waters at a teen support group.
John Green's novel was published on January 10, 2012.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Author | John Green |
| Published | January 10, 2012 |
| Genre | Young adult, romance |
| Narrator | Hazel Grace Lancaster, in the first person |
| Setting | Indiana and Amsterdam |
| Film | 2014 adaptation |
What is The Fault in Our Stars about?
Hazel Grace Lancaster is sixteen and has thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs, so she uses an oxygen tank. At her parents' urging she goes to a teen cancer support group, where her only friend is Isaac, who has eye cancer. Isaac brings along Augustus Waters, seventeen, who lost a leg to bone cancer.
Hazel and Augustus bond over books. Her favorite is An Imperial Affliction by the reclusive author Peter Van Houten. It ends in the middle of a sentence, and both want to know what happens to the characters afterward. Hazel hesitates to get close to anyone because her cancer is terminal and she doesn't want to hurt the people who love her, but Augustus pursues her.
↑ Back to the topWhere and when is it set?
The story is set in the early 2010s in Indiana and in Amsterdam. The characters use email and social media like any teenagers of that time, and much of the book takes place in hospitals, at the support group and in their homes.
↑ Back to the topWho are the main characters?
Hazel Grace Lancaster is the narrator. Augustus Waters is her love interest. Isaac is their friend, who loses his sight. Peter Van Houten is the author of Hazel's favorite book, and Lidewij is his assistant in Amsterdam. Hazel's parents are an important part of her life too.
↑ Back to the topHow does The Fault in Our Stars end?
Augustus uses his wish from the Genie Foundation, a fictional version of Make-A-Wish, to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet Van Houten. In person the author is a bitter, drunken man who refuses to answer her questions. The trip still brings the couple together. On their last day Augustus tells Hazel that his cancer has returned and spread.
Augustus gets weaker and is hospitalized. Before he dies he holds a pre-funeral where Hazel and Isaac read eulogies. After his funeral, Van Houten apologizes and explains that his own daughter died of cancer. Hazel receives the pages Augustus wrote for her. She decides that the time they had was worth the pain of losing him.
↑ Back to the topKey facts about the book
Green was inspired in part by his work as a chaplain at a children's hospital and by his friendship with Esther Earl, a teenage fan with thyroid cancer who died in 2010. The book is dedicated to her.
↑ Back to the topMore about The Fault in Our Stars
This guide covers the book only. Events in film or TV versions differ in places.