Paper Towns - John Green

Q (Quentin) and Margo Roth Spiegelman, as children are neighbours and best friends. In the simplicity that is childhood, this makes sense. But childhood, as its nature tends to, gives way to adolescence, simultaneously simplicity gives way to complex social rules, and friendships dissipate as school re-labels everyone into theirs 'groups'. Only then does it become obvious that Margo and Q aren't as similar as they believed and hoped.

Margo, beautiful and mysterious, belongs to those group of girls that seem to float, not walk, seem untouchable, unapproachable and not quite real. Q, conversely, has two good friends, Ben and Radar, who alone made his senior year bareable. Navigating the bullies, Q and his friends frequent the band room.

Margo and Q, still neighbours, become distant strangers.

Until, in true Margo style, she suddenly appears in Q's window one night, as if the years had rewound back to times when they were inseparable. Margo had chosen Q for a revenge fuelled multi stop crazy night righting all the wrongs done to her by those who were supposed to have loved her. Margo is a planner. The plan had 11 parts, and required Q to get:

3 whole catfish (individually wrapped), Veet (hair removal cream), Vaseline, six pack of Mountain Dew, one dozen tulips, one bottle of water, tissues and one tin of blue spray paint. Of course.

Q, in his unquestioning admiration for Margo, revelled in being selected for this mission, fulfilled his part, and felt his friendship, perhaps more, with Margo had been revived, bolstered even.

Until, the next day, Margo disappeared.

Q finds clues left by Margo, seemingly just for his eyes, as to where to start to look for her. They are increasingly cryptic, the last hidden in verses from Walt Whitman.

Q, sacrificing his last days of study before his finals, pursues each trace of Margo across Florida, wanting, needing to be the one to find her, if she can be found.

The more Q falls into the depths of Walt Whitman's meaning, the more Q questions whether Margo set this trail for him to follow or whether she is saying her final goodbye through his words.

Q is left with no other option except to follow the veiled clues in the hope that Margo is still alive and is willing to be found.