After reading An Abundance of Katherines, I was down to my last John Green (& David Levithan) book: Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I was really counting on this one to be good since An Abundance of Katherines did not turn out to be my cup of tea. Three words: Too many theorems! There was a reason I dropped out of Maths as soon as I got the chance.Will Grayson, Will Grayson has turned out to be one of my favourite books ever, and not just because one of my best friends has the same name as me.
Both named Will Grayson
If it wasn’t obvious enough, there are two protagonists, both named Will Grayson. The protagonists switch with every alternate chapter. Will Grayson 1 is best friends with the very rambunctious Tiny, whose appearance contradicts his name. Tiny falls in love with a different guy on an almost hourly basis, whereas Will is trying to avoid catching feelings for Jane, even though Tiny tries to play matchmaker. Most of Will’s life involves Tiny, especilly now that Tiny has decided to showcase a musical based on his life. Being his best friend, Will is involuntarily dragged into helping Tiny with the preparations.
Will Grayson 2, on the other hand, is in love with his online boyfriend Isaac. Isaac seems to be his happy pill in his world of melancholy and depression. He feels bereft of happiness, except when Isaac is online. He finds his supposed friend, Maura to be nosy and does not want to admit his sexuality, nor anything about Isaac, even though she is intent on finding out.
Lives begin to connect
You might wonder: two different people, two different stories so, why not two different books? Well, a surreal co-incidence causes both Will Graysons to meet at an adult magazine store. Will 1 is mad at Tiny and Jane for attending a concert without him while still figuring out his feelings for Jane. Will 2,(spoiler alert) went from delirious to devastated upon finding out that Isaac never existed and that the person in whom he vested all his feelings was in fact, Maura. Following that incident, their lives begin to connect.
Fun and moving
All that follows does not have anything to do with their names, because, let’s get real, this is a story created by John Green and David Levithan. This was one of the first books I read that had a gay protagonist rather than just a gay character. It does acknowledge LGBT problems while still being light hearted for the most part. It describes what depression feels like on a first hand basis, since Will Grayson 2 has been diagnosed with it. With all the stigma surrounding mental health, this book gives a realistic look into what depression actually feels like. Will’s thoughts feel so genuine and relatable, even if you are not going through/ have not previously gone through depression.
All in all, this book is both fun and moving, with a few hilarious songs from Tiny’s musical. If you are looking for a YA or John Green book to read, this is certainly something you should pick up.
