We picked this book for book club because we thought it would be fun to see the movie. None of us wanted to see the movie since none of us enjoyed the book. I did not like any of the characters and really did not care how the book ended.

The development of the characters in this book are very realistic to teenagers. The reluctance Greg has to belonging to a group, yet the desire to belong is adolescence 101. Is Earl outrageous? Yes. Is the Dying Girl understated? Yes. Is Greg a confusing character who can't see the point of everything and everyone because he is myopic and omnipotent? Yes. That's because he's a teenage boy in a coming-of-age story. He has to go through this journey of self-realization to appreciate Earl and the Dying Girl for what they are and therefore what they make him. If you cannot find the wit, humor, and honesty in this book; you may have grown up and forgotten what it is like to be a teenager. Of note, the movie does very little justice to this book.