An Imperial Affliction is a novel written by Peter van Houten, and that fictitious novel is a centerpiece in this one. Hazel, a young woman with cancer, reads this book very frequently, because the main character has cancer and it is portrayed in a way that she identifies with. 
 When she tells her new friend Augustus about this book that is almost a part of her, he also feels strongly about it, and the two hatch a plan to discover what the author believes happened to the characters after the end of the novel. 
 I'm really not doing this book justice, but I really enjoyed the role of An Imperial Affliction in The Fault in Our Stars. I recommend.