An Abundance of Katherines

"An Abundance of Katherines" is a books about obsession, finding one's true self, and reinvention. Colin Singleton is a seventeen year old former child prodigy who is having an identity crisis. All his life, Colin's parents have held him high standards to intellectual markers in an attempt to turn him into a genius which has instead caused him to have a lifelong worry of not mattering and being famous. Colin's excels at learning languages and creating anagrams from words but is unsure what the future holds for him.

In addition to his worrying about transitioning from a prodigy to a genius, he is obsessed with determining why he has continually been dumped by eighteen girlfriends named Katherine. After Colin's nineteenth time being dumped, his best friend Hassan shakes him out of his depression and convinces him to take a road trip across the country. As Colin and Hassan drive from Chicago to parts unknown, Colin constantly replays his relationships with various Katherines to see if there a common theme and comes up empty.

During their road trip, Colin decides to make a stop in Gutshot, Tennessee to see the burial site of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. When they arrive at Gutshot, Colin and Hassan meet Lindsey Lee Wells, seventeen year old tour-guide for the burial site. As the trio walk to the Archduke's burial site, Colin take a falls and Lindsey patches up his injury since she is a paramedic in training.

After Colin is feeling better, Lindsey's mom Hollis offers Colin and Hassan jobs as oral history recorders and provides them with pay and a place to stay. During their time in Gutshot, Colin decides to create a mathematical theorem to explain the relationship between dumpers and dumpees. As the book progress, Colin begins to see that who you are as a child does not define who you are as an adult.

I enjoyed this book and loved the use of footnotes. I also liked that it taught me thing I didn't know before like learning the name of the number or letter above the normal line of type is called a superscript. The mathematical theorem totally lost me (I'm a grammar nerd) but it was an interesting way to show how Colin's mind works. Overall, the book was entertaining, humorous, and surprisingly tender at times.

This was my first book from John Green. A nice intro to his writing and storytelling. I easily related to Colin and Lindsey as I shared certain traits when I was that age.

I found that the coming of age and self discovery of the story endearing and believable. I can't wait to read my next selection from this author.

An Abundance of Katherines isn't much of a road trip story, in that Colin and Hassan don't go that far before finding a place to stay for the summer. But that place is where they undergo their journey of self-realization. I won't spoil it, but each of them has to learn about the future, or rather their lack of ability to learn about the future.

While I didn't think this was as strong as

The Fault In Our Stars, I still loved it. I laughed out loud at the city boys trying to hunt a wild boar, then the Skinny One and the Fat One taking on the high school quarterback (or is it cornerback?). This is a great book for teenagers, especially those gazing into the murky post-high school future, but I must admit that as a thirty-something, I also found it revealing. Even as adults, we try to predict where we're going and where we're meant to be. Even who we are is still up for grabs, and a dose of self-knowledge, or self-reflection, is a reality check everyone can use once in a while.

A beautiful introspection into self evolution and learning to live in the moment. Throughout his journey, Colin has to grapple with getting over a breakup and trying to find a way to matter and be unique. Colin learns to be more aware of the people he is with while also becoming aware of himself; he learns to change without knowing that is what is happening until it has happened. He learned that the only way to matter, is to be present for yourself and for the people around you.

Absolutely awesome. The writing's engaging. The characters are endearing. I read this, it was really thought provoking and profound. Overall an amazing read