I want to recommend 'Searching for Alaska.'
Usually I don't enjoy stories about typical high school lives, but what I really liked about Searching for Alaska was the characters. They were interesting, unique and likable without being unrealistic.
The story is about a boy... who's name I just forgot. Damnit, how can I rave about the characters if I've forgotten all their names? D= Lets call him boy1 for now. Anyway, boy1 decided to go to this boarding school in search of 'the great perhaps,' which is something mentioned by a dead famous guy. This kid, a typical nerd 'nobody' from a small town, has this awesome little quirk in that he remembers famous people's 'last words,' is fascinated by them and often quotes them.
So, when he gets to the school he meets Alaska Young (the only character, it seems, who's name I can remember,) and Alaska is this tough, popular, smoking and alcohol drinking rebel. She - oh wait, I just remembered Boy1's name! Pudge. At least, that's the nickname his roommate (who's name, predictably, I can't remember,) gave him. Ironic, because he's really skinny. I like irony. So did he, apparently.
Anyway, Alaska meets Pudge. The three of them (later joined by a foreign girl, name escapes me, who Alaska tried to match-make with Pudge,) do all sorts of pranks, get caught smoking and drinking, etc. Basically, they become inseparable friends.
SPOILERS (for people who know they'll never read it but want to know how it ends.)
So, despite being a terrible example, Alaska really is a big sweety on the outside. She's always happy, always trying to make other people smile. But, in reality, she's trying to escape from 'her labyrinth.' Her mother died when she was young, and her father blames her for it. She's been suffering since then, I suppose. At the climax of the story, Pudge is in love with Alaska, and maybe Alaska was in love with Pudge too? We don't find out, because one night, on her mother's death anniversary, Alaska, Pudge and Pudge's roommate get drunk. The same night, Alaska drives out of school and straight into a police car. She dies, and the two boys blame themselves. They knew she was drunk, but let her go. It's heart breaking, because Alaska's last words were, after pulling back from her kiss with Pudge, something along the lines of 'until next time.'
Pudge and his friend spend the rest of the novel trying to work out whether Alaska committed suicide or whether it was a drunken accident. I don't think they ever decided, but they pulled a giant prank 'in memory of Alaska Young.'
It was ages ago that I read it (about three weeks, I think,) so I can't remember all the details, but of all the books that I've read in those three weeks, Searching for Alaska made the biggest impact. I was just thinking about it now because I'm stealing some of Alaska's personality and some aspects of her 'labyrinth' for one of my new roleplay characters ^^
Anyway, it's a good book. Not amazing, not an epic, but still good. I've bene having trouble finding good books lately =]
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