An Abundance of Katherines

John Green
Dutton Books (2006)
ISBN 0525476881
Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (11/06)

Colin is drawn to girls named Katherine.  He’s a little bummed as his girlfriend has just dumped him.  Her name was Katherine; she’s the nineteenth Katherine to dump him.

A recent high school graduate, Colin lacks social skills.  He was a child prodigy but now he’s thrust into the real world where he’s just another smart kid.  Colin is determined to figure out a mathematical formula, which will graph the rise and fall of a relationship.  (It’s no wonder all the Katharine’s dumped him.)  He and his friend Hassan, a non-terrorist Muslim, go on a road trip with no particular destination; they end up in Gutshot, Tennessee, where they meet Lindsey and find jobs.  Lindsey has depth and is an exceptional character.

Colin, like most of us, truly wants to make a difference in the world.  He wants his life to count for something.  After all, "what's the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?"  Colin strives to be unique and original.  “The way he sees it, his Theorem is the last chance for him to be remembered and the last chance he'll ever have to fill that nagging hole that is eating him up inside.”

This book is filled with humor, adventure and self-discovery.

This book, “An Abundance of Katherines,” is unique and well written.  I’m not a “math person” and much of that was lost on me.  However, it is a good plot (just stop beating yourself up for not understanding the formula).  The characters are so funny, unique and truly likable despite their so human faults.  The cover is intriguing but doesn’t really fit the book.  The cover made me think this book was for young women.  It isn’t it.  This is a “guy’s book.”  I recommend this book for guys.

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