By Jesse Andrews
308 pages
During the summer, one of my favorite things to do (besides read) is go to early showings of movies, by myself. I love doing this because I get to see things that my friends won’t normally want to see, I get to avoid the crowds, and because I’m not concerned with what others will think, I get to lose myself in the world of the film. This past summer I did just this and saw a movie called Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Fast-forward to Black Friday and a super sale of the Kindle version of the book and me purchasing said book.
I loved this book. It is often said that the book versions of things are better than the movie versions – I say this all the time. However, usually when it’s a comedy, it doesn’t make much of a difference. This time though, the book was so much better! The movie is good, I enjoyed the main character, Greg. He has a very unique personality full of quirks and totally awkward moments, but the book was infinitely better.
The book begins with our introduction to Greg and the inner workings of his brain. It is hysterical how he dissects his school and all of its cliques. We meet his mom and dad, each quirky in their own way, and his two younger sisters who were both left out of the movie. Later we are introduced to Earl. Earl is the closest thing that Greg has to a friend, although he refuses to admit he has any friends. Earl is referred to as a “co-worker” who works with Greg to create movies. They bond of their love of movies and together they create really horrible versions of famous movies. We also meet Rachel, aka The Dying Girl. Rachel is a girl Greg has known since he was small but isn’t really friends with. His mom tells him that Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia and forces him to go spend time with her. Eventually, Rachel becomes the only person, besides Greg and Earl, to see their films. They become a comfort to her when she is in the hospital and ultimately Greg and Earl set out to make a film dedicated to Rachael.
While this book deals with the very serious issue of adolescent leukemia, it is also hilarious. Greg has such unique (and let’s face it, strange) view on how the world works that you can’t help but want to know what will happen next. There are definitely some parts that are perverted, but would you expect anything less from a high school senior?
The thing that I absolutely loved most about this book was the tearing down of the fourth wall. So many times during the book Greg would say something, and then add something like, “That entire paragraph is a moron.” Or something like, “I can’t believe you are still reading this book, there might be something seriously wrong with you.” I love this stuff, I eat it up, but I’m a big cheeseball.
Also, I don’t think I can end this without discussing Earl a little bit more. Earl comes from a really bad family life. His dad isn’t around, his mom locks herself in a room upstairs, and Earl and his brothers essentially do whatever they want, whenever they want. They are poor and Earl is the only one who even still goes to school. In school he takes all remedial classes even though he is smart enough to take any advanced classes too. Earl also curses like a sailor and threatens to kick people in the face all the time. Greg constantly says that Earl is a better person than he is, and it’s true. Despite all of these things, deep down, Earl has a foundation of human decency. He understands how the world works and how people should be treated. He’s behavior doesn’t always portray that he knows these things, but ethically, he knows what’s right and wrong. He’s a crazy, messed up kid, with a heart of gold, who tells it like it is.
Read this book if you want to laugh and also feel feelings.
4.5 Stars