couple of spoilers, but I'm convinced I'm the last person on Earth to read this gem of a book
'She's a bitch and Q needs his head checked'
These were the words scrawled on a post-it note inside a copy of Paper Towns I picked up a year or so ago. I think it's safe to say that Quentin's therapist parents have the second half of this appraisal down, but IS Margo really a bitch?
After finishing Paper Towns, I'll admit I felt the same as the anonymous post-it author, and was somewhat annoyed with Margo. How could she have the audacity to turn up at Quentin's window after years of barely talking, demand his assistance in a barely-legal-yet-very-fun adventure which keeps them out all night, have one magical moment, and then disappear completely? How dare she leave a trail of hardly determinable clues which she knew Q couldn't resist when she knows how concerned Q is about getting into college? Isn't it just rude?
I thought about it some more, though, and realised I might have been a little harsh. Some people aren't made to stay in one place, and Margo is the stereotypical caged bird - she's constantly seeking more than the lot she's been dealt, and reminds me of that friend everyone has who's convinced they're descended from royalty one way or another. Quentin's teenage awkward-ness is relatable on so many levels, and so its only natural to 'side' with him, but wouldn't more of us love to go on a Margo adventure given the chance?
To give her credit, Margo's explanation of her behaviour helps us to understand her a bit better, and it isn't really her fault that Q worked out the positions on the map like some top FBI agent. Her intentions were, actually, pretty damn sweet when you give it real thought. To give someone access to a place you've considered personally yours for so long must be difficult and would have been a cute goodbye gift in all honesty, if it had been a bit clearer.
Q and Margo's love and their almost-there-but-not-quite relationship looks pretty one-sided on the surface, but had Paper Towns been written from Margo's viewpoint, maybe things would look a lot more equal, and we might even have a bit more sympathy for her as she decided to leave Q and her entire life behind in search of something bigger and better.
