An Abundance of Katherines
by John Green

This is the story of Colin Singleton, child prodigy and chronic Dumpee. Colin’s just had his heart broken by Katherine #19 and he and his best friend, Hassan, are embarking on a road trip with hopes to find a cure. Or prove his Underlying Katherine Predictability Theorem which he’ll use to predict the future of any relationship and firmly establish his place in the world. But, as is always the case with road trips, Colin learns a lot more about himself than he expects.

If you’ve checked out my goodreads profile any time in the past few months, you may already know how long it took me to really get into this book. As in I added to my “Currently Reading” shelf at the end of November last year and am just now finishing it four months later. Not that it actually took me four months to read. It took me all of a few hours, once I got past the first 30 pages. And those first 30 pages aren’t bad by any means. Perhaps I was just never in the right mood?

Whatever it was, I’m glad I forced myself to pick it back up and actually concentrate on it this weekend. Because I really quite enjoyed the book. John Green has a talent for creating memorable characters who seem three dimensional in a short amount of time. Even his female characters despite the air of mystique they all seem to possess. (Side Note: The air of mystique comes more from us never really seeing the story from the female’s point of view and our lead male character clearly finds the female of the species puzzling. So no matter how much we may learn about the females, they still seem a bit elusive.) He’s also quite deft with the humor and wit. The dialogue is sharp and funny and always ring true to the characters.

The way the story is told is almost as integral to my enjoyment as the story itself. The story is sweet and unexpected and I can’t really go into much of it without giving away things you should figure out for yourself and experience along with Colin. But I also really appreciated how the story is told. The humor in Green’s story telling will keep you just as amused as the humorous events in the story itself. Using footnotes to give your story another dimension is not new in fiction, I had seen it done in the works of at least two other authors before this book. I do, however, like how Green does it here. And, as Colin is working on a mathematical equation, I also liked how the math played a part in the story and how, just as I was getting frustrated by it, the narrator anticipated that response. And, yes, I’m being vague but I don’t want to spoil the moment for you.

In conclusion, despite how long it took me to give this book a chance, it was well worth the read. If the description appeals to you, I highly recommend checking it out. Despite it’s designation as “teen” fiction, it’s a story that many will relate to and enjoy.