Paper Towns: Part 1/ Chapters 5 to 9 – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)
Chapter 5 Overview As the adventure continues, you are almost led to believe Margo may end her life after all is said and done. Review (with Spoilers) Though Margo remains this oddly whimsical and eccentric young lady, one with this odd quest of revenge, sadly Q remains but a shapeless pawn. Maybe so we can see…
Chapter 5
Overview
As the adventure continues, you are almost led to believe Margo may end her life after all is said and done.
Review (with Spoilers)
Though Margo remains this oddly whimsical and eccentric young lady, one with this odd quest of revenge, sadly Q remains but a shapeless pawn. Maybe so we can see ourselves in his shoes, or because Green was so focused on Margo being interesting that Q got left to the wayside. Either way, as we venture through part 6 – 8, it makes the fact all this happened within 2 hours amazing.
Characters & Story
As Margo, “brings the fucking rain, not scattered showers” it makes you wonder how can one girl being cheated on lead to her going through all this trouble, and dragging a guy she seemingly has barely talked to since they were kids, just for revenge? I mean, mind you, when it comes to Karin she leaves an apology note, but when it comes to going to Jason’s house, and breaking a window to leave a catfish, and then Margo breaking into her former friend’s (1) car to hide a fish under the seat, I wonder how deep is Q’s love and bond with this girl to witness, and be an accessory, to all this? I mean, he almost got shot with a shotgun last chapter, nearly encountered the cops this one, and while Margo seems to be oddly in control of the situation right now, how long may that last?
For with her breaking into Jason’s house, which is on the rich side of town with a great security system, it does make you wonder if the few pages before the prologue, not noted in the chapter by chapter reviews, if maybe she got caught by the cops? Also, I am left wondering what kind of life has Margo lived if she knows how to break into a car? Is Q’s dream girl a bad ass with a bit of edge he perhaps should stay the hell away from? Likely, but it seems he may stick around until all Margo wants out of him is over.
Collected Quote(s)
“When you say nasty things about people, you should never say the true ones, because you can’t really fully and honestly take those back, you know?”
— Paper Towns: Chapter 5 – Page 44
Things To Note
Margo’s former friend is Lacey who would often give underhanded compliments, or sarcastic insults, about Margo’s weight. Something which Q explains isn’t as bad as we may think. Margo he describes as having beautiful blue eyes, a nice butt, and it is hard to say what the rest of her body looks like. At least in a way which would allow us to understand what she may actually look like.
Chapter 6
Overview
In this chapter, Margo and Q take a brief break to see how much chaos they may have caused.
Review (with Spoilers)
As much as I want to think Margo is evolving as a character, with her being Q’s love interest it makes it hard to not still see her as this unobtainable girl who for some reason is talking to the loser she left behind. And even as Margo shows her flaws and hints at her regrets, I honestly feel like the writing tries to force her into this box which keeps her from ever evolving past how Q looks at her. Something which perhaps is the real issue, and not the Manic Pixie whatever thing.
Characters & Story
After all the chaos dealing with either breaking or entering someone’s home or vehicle, it is time to take a breather downtown. Thus leading to an explanation of the book’s title (1), and Margo showing, in the slightest of ways, that she wishes perhaps she and Q stayed as close as they once were. And being that Q is one of those guys who maybe can’t deal with being friends with someone of the gender he likes, his mind wanders to places which are in a slightly intimate/ sexual nature.
But with this moment of relaxation comes the question of what will happen once this is all over? Will Margo join Q’s friends and perhaps fix things to the way they should have been? Or instead, will she just stick to the more popular kids if not become a full on loner? It is hard to tell.
Things To Note
Margo calls their town a paper town because of how fake she thinks it all is. Be it the houses which are built to fail, the people who are all so cliché, to how paper thin and frail everyone is.
Chapter 7
Overview
With Margo’s targets covered, it is time for Q to get some revenge.
Review (with Spoilers)
At this point, I’m reading this for the ride and am finding less and less of a point to critique it. For when I’m not looking at this as something sort of creepy, and Margo as some wannabe deep, but is truly shallow, type of character, I can enjoy this more. As for this chapter specifically, it has this weirdness to it due to Margo helping Q with his bully problem in such a way where it seems like the prelude to a possible final goodbye. One which includes letting Q dream of what it may be like to date Margo.
Characters & Story
Margo has one more idea for revenge, but with all her enemies ticked off her list, she now needs one of Q’s. Leading to the decision that the asshole known as Chuck, who roughed him up earlier in the book, shall be the one. But issues with this plan happen early on due to Margo not being exactly sure where Chuck lives. She knows his room is on the 2nd floor, because she crawled out of it after a party, but where is the actual house? Well, she can only guess.
Thus leading them to entering a random person’s house at first. Thankfully, though, Ben is able to provide them with the right address so they are off to Chuck’s who, unfortunately for him, sleeps very deep and hard. That’s good for Margo and Q however for it allows them to get into his room, put Vaseline on all doors, and shave off one of Chuck’s eyebrows. Then, just as he wakes up and screams for his mom, despite seeming before to be the size of a wrestler who could handle himself, Q and Margo are out.
But, before the first house, there is an odd moment, while Margo talks about the plan, in which she interlaces her fingers with Q. Something which honestly could have been her non-verbal way of saying “You ready?” Though with the way Q has talked about her since the beginning, a part of me also thinks seeing Q be there for her like this she is thankful for and while she may not want to kiss him, she can at least give him a nice hand hold to not only say thank you, and ask if he is ready but to get his blood pumping a little bit.
Chapter 8
Overview
With Margo wanting to break into Sea World, Q begins to falter as the trusted sidekick just a tad.
Review (with Spoilers)
The final hoorah of the night seems to be going to Sea World at night, and honestly I’m glad this little part of the journey is over. If just because while the pranks were interesting, I’m increasingly getting tired of Q who with his fantasizing over Margo, and me feeling like I am starting to emulate his thoughts, I just really need Radar to come back. For Margo and Q as our leads has run its course.
Characters & Story
It’s time to bust into Sea World, the only place Margo hasn’t broken into at night, and now Q is seriously ready to tap out. For while going into people’s homes he was able to gather the courage for, breaking into a facility with camera, a moat, and guards just sounds too risky. Thus leading to question his manhood and show why they probably haven’t been friends all this time: Q is boring as shit. I mean, he is reliable, but when it comes to thinking of exciting things to do, or doing stuff really risky, he isn’t gung-ho but instead acts like the one friend who says “I don’t know about this.” Something which is a serious buzz kill.
But with his manhood questioned, and him thinking what he did all night was enough, she reminds him he knew what he signed up for when he came out with her. Thus setting him straight and leading to them breaking into Sea World, once again leading to a series of odd moments which include him sucking on her calf when a snake bites her, as they cross the moat protecting Sea World; a guard finding them but him just so happening to be ready to go home so he doesn’t call the cops; and then the two of them dancing and her trusting his strength enough to be dipped and raise up a leg to just relish in the moment. All of which continues to make their friendship cute and weird for you can see she just wants to have fun with someone, who she can trust and rely on, and while she may do some things which many guys may take as a sign, you can tell she may have no issue saying Q can be cool, cute or handsome, but that she isn’t romantically interested. Yet, while she does all this, you can see the gears turning in Q’s head as he keeps mentioning, almost solely, ways the two of them could be like if they were dating. Something which is starting to get a smidge depressing. Not necessarily pathetic, for who hasn’t fallen for a friend, but I am starting to slightly feel bad for him.
Collected Quote(s)
“I didn’t need you, you idiot. I picked you. And then you picked me back. […] And that’s like a promise. […] In sickness and in health. In good times and in bad. For richer, for poorer.”
— Paper Towns: Chapter 8 – Page 62
Chapter 9
Overview
Time to say goodbye.
Review (with Spoilers)
Apparently we were just in Part One of the book, which ends around 72 pages in, which is a little less than 1/3 of the book, so I guess the meat of the book may deal with the fallout from what happened in Part One. Especially since as much as Margo and Q considered themselves to be ninjas, they were seen a few times and that M is all Margo. And I’m sure between Margo’s former boyfriend, and Chuck, someone has to have seen Q and can connect the dots. Though Part 2 will reveal how much Q may pay for what happened.
Characters & Story
With their night over at 5:42, it seems Q is just looking to confirm that Margo isn’t going to up and abandon him now that she got done all she needed to do. Something which increasingly makes me feel bad for little Q since you can tell, even if he can’t have her romantically, I don’t think he likes the idea of her up and leaving and just being a visible figure from afar anymore. Though, with Margo having really messed with a lot of people over that night, I don’t think she wants to stick around for them to exact revenge. So with a hug and a goodbye, you are left wondering if this is a final goodbye or just a goodbye for now.
Thus ending part 1.
