“Turtles All The Way Down” // Book Review

“Turtles All The Way Down” was probably the book that touched my heart the most for very personal reasons. I read it within 3 days and I fell in love with the story.

Let’s get into it <3

You can check my June Reading List where I talk about my expectations on the book.

Basic Information

Title: Turtles All The Way Down

Author: John Green

Publisher:  Dutton Books for Young Readers // ASA (Portuguese Edition)

Number of Pages: 286 // 293 (Portuguese Edition)

Trigger Warning: Mental Ilness (Anxiety, OCD)

(More Information on Goodreads)

The Short

Writing: 4 stars

Characters: 5 stars

Plot: 3 stars

Originality: 3.5 stars

OVERALL: 4 STARS

The Long

“Turtles All The Way Down” tells us the story of Aza Holmes and how the disappearance of a billionaire brings her back to a lifelong friendship. However, the narrative focuses on Aza’s daily life, fulfilled with anxiety and asphyxiating thoughts that threaten her life.

This book will stick with me forever. I know it.

As someone who has personally struggled with OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) for years and still suffers from anxiety, I could see myself accurately represented in this book.

Aza’s obsessive thoughts, compulsions and severe anxiety couldn’t be written in a more realistic way. I found myself remembering how it was like to deal with the disease back in the day and how challenging it was to overcome it.

After reading the book, I found out John Green suffers from OCD himself. In his Youtube Channel, vlogbrothers, the author talks about how OCD is like for him (check the video here). It was so interesting to see how the same disease can manifest itself in different ways from person to person.

I found Aza’s mind and personal struggles the most interesting thing about the book. Her love for Davis and the disappearance of his father were, in my opinion, the secondary plot. I actually believe the mystery of the disappearance of the billionaire was needless and overshadowed the rest of the story.

Even so, I really loved this book. It’s a great way for people to educate themselves on mental health, especially what it’s like to live with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and how it affects someone’s life.

Favorite Quotes

“Anybody can look at you. It’s quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see.”

“The worst part of being truly alone is you think about all the times you wished that everyone would just leave you be. Then they do, and you are left being, and you turn out to be terrible company.”

“True terror isn’t being scared; it’s not having a choice on the matter.”

“Actually, the problem is that I can’t lose my mind,” I said. “It’s inescapable.”

“You are as real as anyone, and your doubts make you more real, not less.”

“One of the challenges with pain—physical or psychic—is that we can really only approach it through metaphor. It can’t be represented the way a table or a body can. In some ways pain is the opposite of language.”

“I wanted to tell her that I was getting better, because that was supposed to be the narrative of illness: It was a hurdle you jumped over, or a battle you won. Illness is a story told in the past tense.”

“People always talk like there’s a bright line between imagination and memory, but there isn’t, at least not for me. I remember what I’ve imagined and imagine what I remember.”

“And even though I laughed with them, it felt like I was watching the whole thing from somewhere else, like I was watching a movie about my life instead of living it.”

And… That’s It!!

Have you read “Turtles All The Way Down” yet?

If so, did you enjoy it?

If not, is it on your wishlist?

Let me know your opinions!

Stay safe,