Looking for Alaska – The Book
What does it offer that other books don’t typically? Well, for starters it’s a John Green special. If you have read anything by him, or maybe even watched the movie The Fault in our Stars (which is based on his most famous novel of the same name), you’d know there’s a special flavor of profound-witty-hormonal-angsty-existential that only he can concoct.
This was his debut novel. While on the surface, it’s a school story on teen romance, and may feel clichéd because of the saturated market on the genre, it is anything but that.
The Story
The tale is narrated by Miles Halter aka Pudge about his life at Culver Creek Preparatory High School and the people he meets. On his very first day, he instantly develops a bond with his roommate Chip ‘The Colonel’ Martin and develops a huge crush on Alaska Young the moment The Colonel introduces her for the first time. He describes her later in the book, and I quote ‘If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane’.
The Story
The tale is narrated by Miles Halter aka Pudge about his life at Culver Creek Preparatory High School and the people he meets. On his very first day, he instantly develops a bond with his roommate Chip ‘The Colonel’ Martin and develops a huge crush on Alaska Young the moment The Colonel introduces her for the first time. He describes her later in the book, and I quote ‘If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane’.
The infatuation doesn’t subside even as the story progresses and the characters find themselves in the middle of several tumultuous events – most of which they are happy to create and be a part of. Then a terrible tragedy strikes and suddenly the mostly happy-go-lucky story becomes dark and sad.
Emotions and Existential Questions
The story tugs on several heartstrings as it goes along and you find yourself laughing, crying, conflicted, and heartbroken at different stages. Several things resonate with you when you are immersed in the chapters, even if they haven’t happened to you.
Emotions and Existential Questions
The story tugs on several heartstrings as it goes along and you find yourself laughing, crying, conflicted, and heartbroken at different stages. Several things resonate with you when you are immersed in the chapters, even if they haven’t happened to you.
The protagonists of the story – Miles and Alaska have some deep, meaningful conversations about existentialism, even as they go along playing pranks and creating a ruckus, at one point taking things a bit too far but having a good time all along.
Last Words and The Labyrinth
Miles is obsessed with famous last words so much so that he decides to join Culver Creek based on François Rabelais's last words – ‘I go to seek a Great Perhaps’ and seeks his own ‘Great Perhaps’, while Alaska ponders over her favorite last words said by Simon Bolivar – ‘How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!’ – and wonders what that means. This forms the central theme post the tragedy and delves into ideas of suffering, pain, loss, and death amongst other things.
Supporting Characters and Criticism
The other characters in the story are brilliantly fleshed out in my opinion. Takumi, Lara, The Weekday Warriors, The Eagle, Chip’s mother, and Miles’s parents are all pivotal to the story and none of them feel extra and unnecessary. One of the critiques of the book was that it focuses too much on the main group of people and we never really learn much about other interesting characters interspersed throughout the story, particularly The Eagle.
Enter Looking for Alaska – The Hulu Original Drama
Before watching the 8-episodes miniseries, I was slightly reluctant because this is my second favorite John Green book (Surprise, Surprise!) and I wanted my imagination to still be the primary source for my feelings about the book and the characters. It almost felt like sacrilege but I was inspired by the treatment of my third favorite John Green book - The Fault in Our Stars, in the hands of Josh Boone and the amazing cast of Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
Last Words and The Labyrinth
Miles is obsessed with famous last words so much so that he decides to join Culver Creek based on François Rabelais's last words – ‘I go to seek a Great Perhaps’ and seeks his own ‘Great Perhaps’, while Alaska ponders over her favorite last words said by Simon Bolivar – ‘How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!’ – and wonders what that means. This forms the central theme post the tragedy and delves into ideas of suffering, pain, loss, and death amongst other things.
Supporting Characters and Criticism
The other characters in the story are brilliantly fleshed out in my opinion. Takumi, Lara, The Weekday Warriors, The Eagle, Chip’s mother, and Miles’s parents are all pivotal to the story and none of them feel extra and unnecessary. One of the critiques of the book was that it focuses too much on the main group of people and we never really learn much about other interesting characters interspersed throughout the story, particularly The Eagle.
Enter Looking for Alaska – The Hulu Original Drama
Before watching the 8-episodes miniseries, I was slightly reluctant because this is my second favorite John Green book (Surprise, Surprise!) and I wanted my imagination to still be the primary source for my feelings about the book and the characters. It almost felt like sacrilege but I was inspired by the treatment of my third favorite John Green book - The Fault in Our Stars, in the hands of Josh Boone and the amazing cast of Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort.
So I thought maybe I should give it a shot. I will just watch the first episode and then decide. 5 episodes in, I realized this just might be one of the best shows I have ever watched.
The Cast
Kristine Froseth might not have been the Alaska of my imagination, but for all intents and purposes she became Alaska Young in the show, and as far as I am concerned she did the character justice and then some. Charlie Plummer played the part of the awkward and introverted Miles Halter to near perfection and when I watched Denny Love play The Colonel and Jay Lee play Takumi, I knew this is going to be closest anyone could get to doing the most accurate possible book adaptation.
Adapting Alaska
In the book, Alaska is described as sexy, intelligent, moody, and self-destructive. The series doesn’t dial down on any of those fronts. Neither does it dilute the other characters for the sake of a more commercially driven show to emotionally manipulate. Everything you feel during the course of the show feels organic and real.
The Treatment
Upon reading several reviews and discussions on the show, I noticed a lot of people talk about how the series goes an extra mile by delving into the lives of other characters, particularly The Eagle. The motivations and drives behind several of these characters become clearer in the hands of the Program Creator Josh Schwartz and the writers of the show.
Conclusion
If film adaptations feel incomplete and inadequate, it usually has to do with the time crunch. Even a mega-global franchise like Harry Potter suffered because of this. But when you remove that hurdle by deciding to make a miniseries instead that would then be judged purely on its merit and not compared to the book for all the amazing things that were left out, you’ll be able to do justice by the readers and the potential viewers.
The Cast
Kristine Froseth might not have been the Alaska of my imagination, but for all intents and purposes she became Alaska Young in the show, and as far as I am concerned she did the character justice and then some. Charlie Plummer played the part of the awkward and introverted Miles Halter to near perfection and when I watched Denny Love play The Colonel and Jay Lee play Takumi, I knew this is going to be closest anyone could get to doing the most accurate possible book adaptation.
Adapting Alaska
In the book, Alaska is described as sexy, intelligent, moody, and self-destructive. The series doesn’t dial down on any of those fronts. Neither does it dilute the other characters for the sake of a more commercially driven show to emotionally manipulate. Everything you feel during the course of the show feels organic and real.
The Treatment
Upon reading several reviews and discussions on the show, I noticed a lot of people talk about how the series goes an extra mile by delving into the lives of other characters, particularly The Eagle. The motivations and drives behind several of these characters become clearer in the hands of the Program Creator Josh Schwartz and the writers of the show.
Conclusion
If film adaptations feel incomplete and inadequate, it usually has to do with the time crunch. Even a mega-global franchise like Harry Potter suffered because of this. But when you remove that hurdle by deciding to make a miniseries instead that would then be judged purely on its merit and not compared to the book for all the amazing things that were left out, you’ll be able to do justice by the readers and the potential viewers.
Cinema is accessible, and for the people who don’t read much or at all, this is a great way to reach out to a bigger audience because, at the end of the day, the medium doesn’t matter. The story does.
Written by - Shivansh Shandilya
Edited by - Arnav Mehra
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