Augustus gives Hazel The Price of Dawn

In the basement bedroom of his house, during their first real conversation after meeting at Support Group, Augustus Waters initiates a book exchange that becomes a foundational gesture of their relationship. He spins around to a stack of books beneath his bedside table, grabs a paperback and a pen, and scribbles an inscription onto the title page. "All I ask in exchange is that you read this brilliant and haunting novelization of my favorite video game," he says, holding up the book, which is called The Price of Dawn. Hazel laughs and takes it. Their hands become muddled together in the handoff, and then he is holding her hand. "Cold," he says, pressing a finger to her pale wrist. "Not cold so much as underoxygenated," she replies. "I love it when you talk medical to me," he says. He stands, pulls her up with him, and does not let go of her hand until they reach the stairs.

The Book and Its Significance

The book Augustus gives Hazel is The Price of Dawn, a novelization of a video game that features the protagonist Staff Sergeant Max Mayhem. It is a violent, action-packed story—Hazel later counts that Mayhem kills no fewer than 118 individuals in 284 pages. The book is part of a larger series, and Hazel quickly becomes engrossed, purchasing the sequels Midnight Dawns and Requiem for Mayhem the next day. The exchange is reciprocal: Augustus has already taken Hazel's copy of An Imperial Affliction, her favorite book, which she had reluctantly lent him after he asked about her interests. "I am going to read this terrible book with the boring title that does not contain stormtroopers," he promises. This mutual reading creates a shared literary world that becomes central to their relationship.

The Exchange as a Turning Point

The book exchange occurs at a critical moment in their early acquaintance. Hazel has just revealed that her favorite book is An Imperial Affliction, a novel she considers so special and rare that advertising her affection for it feels like a betrayal. She tells Augustus about it only after he presses her to name something she likes, and she admits, "My favorite book is probably An Imperial Affliction." When he asks if it features zombies or stormtroopers, she says no. His willingness to read a book that is not his usual genre—and his immediate reciprocation by giving her his own favorite—signals a deepening of their connection. The physical intimacy of the handoff, with their hands "muddled together," underscores the emotional shift. Hazel later reflects that she liked Augustus Waters "really, really, really" and that she liked "the way his story ended with someone else." The book exchange is the first concrete act of that story.

Consequences and Thematic Resonance

The gift of The Price of Dawn has lasting consequences. Hazel reads it that night and texts Augustus a review: "Too many bodies. Not enough adjectives. How's AIA?" He replies that she promised to call, not text, and she does. Their phone conversation about the books—Augustus is already 453 pages into An Imperial Affliction—leads to flirting and the beginning of their sustained communication. The book also introduces Hazel to the world of Staff Sergeant Max Mayhem, a character whose adventures keep happening, with "always more bad guys to kill and more good guys to save." This contrasts sharply with An Imperial Affliction, which ends midsentence, and Hazel reflects that there is "something to recommend a story that ends." The exchange thus sets up a thematic tension between infinite fiction and finite reality, a tension that will be explored throughout their relationship. Augustus's choice of book—a violent, heroic narrative—also foreshadows his own desire for a meaningful death, a desire that Hazel will later challenge. The book becomes a symbol of their different approaches to life and death, even as it brings them together.