Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on John Green's Turtles All the Way Down. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.
Turtles All the Way Down: Introduction
Turtles All the Way Down: Plot Summary
Turtles All the Way Down: Detailed Summary & Analysis
Turtles All the Way Down: Themes
Turtles All the Way Down: Quotes
Turtles All the Way Down: Characters
Turtles All the Way Down: Symbols
Turtles All the Way Down: Theme Wheel
Brief Biography of John Green
Historical Context of Turtles All the Way Down
Other Books Related to Turtles All the Way Down
- Full Title: Turtles All the Way Down
- When Written: 2012-2017
- Where Written: Indianapolis, IN
- When Published: October 2017
- Literary Period: Contemporary
- Genre: Young Adult "Issue" Novel
- Setting: Indianapolis, Indiana, 2010s
- Climax: When Aza suffers a mental breakdown and drinks hand sanitizer in the hospital
- Antagonist: Aza's anxiety and OCD, bacteria
- Point of View: First person, narrated by Aza
Extra Credit for Turtles All the Way Down
The Great Gatsby. The many Gatsby references throughout the novel are intentional. John Green has said that he believes that because nearly all high school students read The Great Gatsby, all other texts are read in the context of Gatsby. Green has said, however, that Daisy's name isn't supposed to be a reference to Daisy Buchanan.
A Genre of his Own. New York Times writer A. J. Jacobs suggested in a 2010 review of Winger by Andrew Smith that John Green's books have created a new genre of teen lit: Aspiring John Green, or GreenLit. Qualities of this genre, according to Jacobs, include a "funny, self-aware teenage narrator," sharp dialogue, and heartbreaking twists.