Lydia 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green – review

Lydia 'It's really just a touching tale of friendship, travelling and a little bit of romance'
  
  


This fabulous novel may be marketed towards young adults but that doesn't limit it. It's a graceful coming of age story that both teenagers and adults alike can relate to and enjoy the story.

You might call Colin Singleton a geek but no, he's a child prodigy who, to his frustration, has yet to reach the level of genius. His attempt at a Eureka moment to propel him into the region of geniuses comes in the form of an in-depth analysis of his dating history: all of his nineteen girlfriends were called Katherine (not Catherine, Katharine or Kathryn) and all of them dumped him. His theorem is meant to "determine the curve of any relationship based on several factors of the personalities of the two people in a relationship," and it is supposed to predict the future and length of any given relationship.

Don't worry, it's all explained within the book with an appendix by mathematician and friend of Green, Daniel Bliss. He explains some of the more complex equations that Colin uses. Of course, Colin's not alone throughout the book. Post high-school and pre college, he's heading on a spontaneous road trip with his best (and only) friend, Hassam Harbish, a "funny, lazy, Judge Judy-obsessed Muslim."

Along the way, they meet Lindsey Lee Wells at the supposed burial spot of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and before long, they find themselves working for Lindsey's mother. Don't let maths alarm you. Green writes it into the book in a very accessible, humorous way for even the totally innumerate among us and behind all of these layers of science and theories and the strive for the title of genius, it's really just a touching tale of friendship, traveling and a little bit of romance.

Colin is a loveable, confused guy and Hassan is the kind of best friend that everybody yearns for, providing comic relief for the book: he's loyal, blunt and not afraid to tell the truth, dishing out the tough love.

An Abundance of Katherines is John Green's second novel and the first of his that I read, prompting my long standing obsession: with talks of a film, hopefully we'll soon see Colin, Hassan and various Katherines on the big screen.

Want to tell the world about a book you've read? Join the site and send us your review!

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*