The only way Looking for Alaska could work in this moment is with a broadening of voices and more explicit exploration of themes like sexuality, consent, mental health, race and privilege - and fortunately, that’s what the eight-episode series delivers. Today’s TV landscape features shows like HBO’s Gen Z hit Euphoria, Netflix’s controversial 13 Reasons Why and candid Sex Education, and major-network sitcoms and dramas that present diverse depictions of family and teen life. ( Many, including Green himself, have wrestled with the way in which he deals with this trope in his books.)
But everything looks different in the light of 2019’s political landscape and evolving social norms, and so the novel Looking for Alaska - originally told entirely through Miles’ eyes - can feel dated, at the very least for its fixation with what some have deemed an early version of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. In 2005, the book was a revelation for its clear-eyed depiction of teen angst and love, and a generation of readers grew up smitten with the inscrutable Alaska, infatuated Miles and feisty Chip. But beneath the surface, Green’s story has gotten a facelift for our present moment.
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