Turtles All the Way Down Short Summary

Written by the famous author John Green, the book “Turtles all the way down” is a young adult novel that was published in 2017. It is the story of a sixteen-year-old called Aza. Although it is fictional, the author revealed that its aspect of mental illness appealed to him personally.

A Brief Plot Overview of the Story

The protagonist, Aza, is a student at a certain high school and suffers from OCD, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. She has had to deal with many anxiety disorders. For one, germs terrify her, and she fears illness. She constantly picks at her finger at a cut to remove germs.

She has two friends: Daisy and Turner. Daisy is an aspiring fan fiction writer, and Mychal is an artist in the making. They have been with Aza for some time and are already used to her illness.

The three are eating in the cafeteria once, and Daisy reveals that a billionaire is missing by the name Russel Pickett. He was being investigated for fraud. Aza knows one of his son’s called Davis who she was with at camp once and she shows pity to him. Anyone who can find him receives a $100,000.

Daisy requests that Aza try and contact Davis. She wants them to find Russell since it will result in wealth. Aza does not believe in the plan, but the amount of money tempts her too. She gets on board and decides to contact Davis.

Aza and Daisy go to visit Davis. They learn that the company that Russell was part never completed some work they had been contracted. This was when the man went missing. He left his estate to his lizard in his will before he went missing. Aza and Daisy take their leave, but Davis and Aza start texting.

Aza and Davis become close, and Davis becomes a good distraction for her. Aza starts falling for Davis, which was not her plan. Davis is hesitant since he is not sure whether Aza is only after the money. So, he gives her $100,000 to stay with him.

Even though she cares about him, Aza’s condition fires up when she kisses Davis. She is worried about the germs that he spread to her and wants to end the interaction. Davis is understanding of the condition and is willing to take it slow.

Daisy and Aza see each other less. They fight one day, and Daisy reveals how little Aza knows about her since she is too self-absorbed. Aza leaves, angry with herself and gets involved in an accident. Daisy visits her in the hospital and apologizes. Aza comes up with the theory that Davis`s father might be dead in the sewers. It turns out to be true. Davis moves away with his brother since the lizard got everything. Aza gets to focus on her life.