Summary chapters 11-25

Chapter 11

Setting: Hotel Filosoof Amsterdam, Restaurant Oranjee

Time: May 6

Characters: Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters, Hazel's mother

Summary: After Hazel has rested for a few hours at the Filosoof Hotel, she goes out to eat with Augustus at the Oranjee Restaurant. Hazel and Augustus are dressed very elegantly. Augustus is wearing the suit he bought for his own funeral. Van Houten's assistant has reserved a table for the two of them. Hazel and Augustus enjoy the view of the passing cyclists and the boats on the canal. Hazel drinks alcohol for the first time in her life. Lidewij has ordered champagne for them as a welcome drink.

Augustus is very accommodating. He can remember that Hazel is a vegetarian, although she has mentioned this only once in passing. He compliments her. Hazel becomes more and more insecure and can hardly resist him. Her conscience pulls her back and forth. She refers to the meal together as a date. Augustus likes that. Despite the romantic setting, they keep talking about their illnesses and how they won't live long.

Augustus is afraid of being forgotten. He does not want to leave the world without leaving something behind. He believes that he is not destined to have a life or a death that has any meaning. Hazel thinks he is out of his mind. She is irritated and cannot hide this. It’s tactless to tell someone like her that people should not die before achieving something significant. Augustus is acting selfishly here. 

After dinner, they stroll along the canal and talk about the next day. Will Van Houten tell them the continuation? As they sit on a bench, Hazel touches Augustus’ leg and he winces. It seems to cause him pain.

The two talk about Augustus' relationship with Caroline. Caroline's brain tumor triggered severe emotional fluctuations and behavioral disorders in her. From one second to the next, she pointed to Augustus' amputated leg and called him a cripple. She joked about it for weeks. Hazel is shocked. She doesn't want to put Augustus through the same thing again. But Augustus doesn't mind. He calls it an honor to have his heart broken by her.

Chapter 12

Setting: Hotel Filosoof Amsterdam, Van Houtens apartment, Anne Frank house, Augustus hotel room

Time: May 7

Characters: Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters, Hazel's mother, Peter Van Houten, Lidewij Vliegenthart

Summary: Hazel wakes up very early. She gets ready for the meeting with the writer. The Anna, the character from the novel, likes to wear Converse sneakers, dark jeans, and a light blue T-shirt with the surrealist painting belonging to the Belgian painter René Magritte, . The painting presents a pipe, under which there is the French phrase "Ceci n'est pas une pipe." (This is not a pipe). There are thousands of allusions to Magritte in the novel. 

Hazel is very nervous. When the two youngsters arrive at Van Houten's house, he does not make them feel welcome . He opens the door in men's pajamas and a seventh-day beard and calls the two "apparitions". His assistant reminds him that he invited the two fans. Van Houten apparently did not really mean this. He accuses Lidewij of arranging the meeting behind his back. Van Houten calls the two ontologically improbable creatures. He does not seem to be in his right mind.

After Hazel and Augustus enter the apartment, Van Houten begins to get drunk. He has a drinking problem. Lidewij tries to mediate again and again, but Van Houten behaves terribly. He asks Hazel if she dressed like Anna on purpose. The fact seems to make ...