Looking for Alaska won the Centre for Youth Literature’s Silver Inky for the most popular book written by an overseas author. That, I decided, made it worth the read!
It’s a gripping book right from the word go, as each of the chapter headings include ‘X days before’ giving the reader a view that something ominous is coming. Whilst tempting to skip forward to ‘1 day before’, I restrained myself and read with inrige and excitment right to the very end.
Miles Halter narrates his journey for Florida-loner to geek-prank-gang member at Culver Creek boarding school. Milles is not so much propelled by his lack of friends, but rather his need to ’seek a Great Perhaps’ in accordance with Rabelais’s last words.
What Miles finds is chain-smoking, alcohol chugging Chip and Alaska, who team up with Lara and Takumi to full some of the ‘Creeks best pranks. As the year progresses, so does Miles’s love of the already-taken Alaska. It is through her teaching, and Chip’s encouragement that Miles manages to leave his shy side behind to develop a life-long friendship.
As Miles seeks his Great Perhaps, he must tackle pre-calc, his first girlfriend, his first sexual encounter and his fear of being expelled, all whilst remembering to call his mother every Sunday.
The writing is powerful as Miles gets more than he bargained for at Culver Creek.
