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Will Grayson, Will Grayson
WillGrayson
Author John Green

David Levithan

Genre Young Adult Fiction
Release Date April 6, 2010
Pages 310 pages
Publisher Dutton Juvenile

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a novel by John Green and David Levithan, published in April 2010 by Dutton Juvenile. The book's narrative is divided evenly between two boys named Will Grayson, with Green having written all of the chapters for one, and Levithan having written the chapters for the other which is presented in an alternating chapter fashion. The novel debuted on the New York Times children's best-seller list after its release and remained there for three weeks.

Collaboration[]

In designing the plot for the book, the two authors decided to split it evenly in half. John Green wrote all the odd-numbered chapters (capitalized Will Grayson) while David Levithan wrote all the even-numbered chapters (lower case will grayson). This also held true for the main characters' names, with Levithan choosing the given name and Green the surname. The only plot they decided on together was the fact that the two characters would meet at some point in the novel and that their meeting would have a tremendous effect on their lives. After this decision, they separately wrote the first three chapters for their half and then shared them with each other.

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After sharing, they then "knew immediately it was going to work", as stated by Levithan.

Plot summary[]

The novel follows two boys who both have the same names Will Grayson. The first Will, whose name is always correctly capitalized, is described as trying to live his life without being noticed. This is complicated by the fact that his best friend, Tiny Cooper, described as "the world's largest person who is really, really gay" and "the world's gayest person who is really, really large", is not the type to go around unnoticed. Tiny is also throughout the novel trying to create an autobiographical musical, which further draws attention to himself and everyone around him.

The other will grayson, whose name is never capitalized, goes through his life without anything good to hold onto besides an online relationship with someone who goes by the name Isaac. Intent on meeting up with Isaac, will grayson sets up an encounter one night in Chicago but eventually finds out that Isaac was invented by a girl named Maura (who is also his peer in his daily school life).  What ensues brings both characters together and changes both of their lives forever in ways they could never have guessed or imagined.

Main characters[]

  • Will Grayson 1: First protagonist of the story. His point-of-view is seen in the odd numbered chapters, and his name is always capitalized. He is obsessed with the band Neutral Milk Hotel. Jane Turner is his love interest.
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  • Will Grayson 2: Second protagonist of the story. His point-of-view is seen in the even numbered chapters, and his name is always lowercased. Meets Tiny Cooper through Will Grayson 1. 
  • Tiny Cooper: Friend of Will Grayson 1. He is described as being a large flamboyant homosexual football player who runs through love interests swiftly. He is the president of the Gay-Straight Alliance at school.
  • Jane Turner: Friend of Tiny and Will. She is also a member of the Gay-Straight Alliance at school, and adores Neutral Milk Hotel.
  • Maura: A goth girl who is attracted to Will Grayson 2. She is one of the few people at his school with whom he interacts.
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