Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (written by Jesse Andrews) is written from the point of view of Greg, a senior in high school who has managed to slip through life without getting too involved with any typical school-social crap. At least, that is, until his mother tells him that one of his old middle school girlfriends has been diagnosed with leukemia. Greg barely ever knew this girl but he is forced to befriend her. He and his best – and only – friend Earl try to cheer up a dying girl.

From reading the synopsis of this book, you probably think it’s going to be some beautifully written work of art where the main character learns the meaning of life and the dying girl lives her life to fullest before coming to terms with her imminent death. Well, you would be entirely wrong. Greg Gaines isn’t exactly a compassionate, empathetic, or kind person. All he wants to do is get through his last year of high school without being noticed. This whole situation ruins his plan, and that is pretty much all he cares about. You wouldn’t think you’d be able to relate or even come to love a main character that is such an asshole, but somehow, it just works.

Despite the somewhat depressing premise of the book, it is incredibly funny. You will actually laugh out loud, something which is incredibly difficult for an author to accomplish. The situation isn’t exactly humorous, but the writing certainly is. The book is essentially the unfiltered thoughts of a teenager, which makes both the language and the sub-plots minor and relatable. Successfully writing from the point of view of a morally ambiguous character is a feat for any author, and Jessie Andrews has certainly accomplished this.

Now, we wouldn’t recommend this if you are easily offended or can’t stand vulgarity, due to the book’s offensive and vulgar nature. However, this may be part of what makes it so real. Greg expresses those thoughts that we would normally never say out loud or even allow ourselves to think because they are disrespectful, inappropriate, or offensive. The writing style is also quite rambly, though Jesse Andrews manages to pull this off as well. Greg’s writing follows the same format as our thoughts, trailing off constantly, not always deleting the things that should probably be deleted.

One problem we had with this book is the fact that the author was constantly recognizing the fact that it wasn’t your average ‘cancer book’. This is obvious from the beginning and was unnecessary. Otherwise, we really had no gripes with this book. It was hilarious, relatable, and managed to get us to root for a protagonist who’s a horrible person. Not to mention, the cover is pretty eye-catching and perfectly suits the tone of the book. We’re giving this book 4.3 schlond poofas out of five.

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