5/5 stars
Goodreads Review
Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.
Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.
Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.
And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight.
Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is Fantastic (yes with a capital F)! It's so hilarious I was literally loling through the entire book. It's kind of like if John Green was a sarcastic a-hole (and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible). Most of the time I find rambling tangents kind of annoying, but I loved the humor, even though sometimes it got to a place that made me more than a little shocked. Kind of like this.
No seriously. I was mostly cracking up, but every now and then I'd be like "Oh dear God!"....but mostly laughing hysterically. A word of warning, the humor is a major part of the book, and it is NOT kid friendly, so if crude humor and swear words aren't your style, approach with caution.
One of my favorite aspects of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is the stylistic choices. The story is told in a variety of ways including bullet point lists and screenplay style, which makes it so much fun to read. I also just really enjoyed the writing style. Greg is very self deprecating and there are a ton of silly interjections that just made me laugh out loud.
However, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl isn't all dirty jokes (I promise). I think there's a pretty deep message too, maybe not a happy one, but a message all the same. It talks about how not everyone is a fighter, and not everyone has profound moments when faced with death. Sometimes people just die, and even though you may know that person, it doesn't mean your life will be all that changed. There's a lot of pressure on people to feel SO SORRY that someone is dying, that everyone has to drop everything because they know someone who is sick, even if that emotion is fake and forced. And a lot of times people care more about the guilt they feel about not caring then they do about the actual dying person. We make a person's death about us, and we'll do things we think they'll want (such as make a movie commemorating their life) without really considering who the dying person actually is and what they would want. This message isn't hopeful or heartwarming, but it's way more honest than a lot of other illness and death books out there.
So basically, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl will appeal to a select audience. If you're looking for a sentimental coming of age story where the MC learns a profound lesson through the death of a manic pixie dream girl, move along, this is NOT your book. However, if you're looking for a realistic view of how effed up death can make you and how it's not something that can be tied up in a neat little package of revelations and self discovery told in hundreds of pages of laugh out loud ridiculousness, then run (not walk) and get Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.
