Looking for Alaska

Looking For Alaska, John Green’s debut novel was first published in 2005. Looking For Alaska follows the life of Miles Halter, as he leaves Florida to join boarding school in Alabama. He joins Culver Creek, the boarding school, later than usual, as he himself mentions that he is looking for a “Great Perhaps”.

Among his quirks include memorizing the last words of famous people and the “Great Perhaps” was that of Francois Rabelais. Miles receives the nickname Pudge in school, and though his was a figure that was nothing like the name entailed, it stuck.

His roommate and friend is Chip, who is the person who introduces him to Alaska Young, the Alaska mentioned in the title of the story. The adventures that they are involved in together cause him to fall in love with Alaska, and the entire book is written in first person. Most of the book is written as a countdown to a specific occurrence, which occurs in the rest of the book and it is easy to gather from the title, what this section would cover.

Though mostly mature and insightful, readers often get a peek into the sex addled mind of a sixteen year old school student, one who is forever counting the number of layers of clothing separating him from the bare body of the girl he is presently with.