Justine's Thoughts: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines
By John Green

Source: Library
Pages: 215
Book Description:

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge-Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun- but no Katherine. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and may finally win him the girl.

A quote:

You can love someone so much, he thought. But you can only never love people as much as you can miss them.

Any thoughts:

Could you believe that I didn’t know what the terms “abundance”, “prodigy” and “pupillary sphincter” meant? I hate to admit it but before reading my first John Green book, I didn’t know what those terms really meant. And in the end, I realized I learned many things just from reading An Abundance of Katherines.

It was an interesting concept, this book. Though it took me quite a while to get into it and get used to the narration (there’s footnotes!), I was glad I didn’t give up. (Side note: Who would give up and stop reading a John Green book? I just couldn’t do that.) Once I was emerged within the story, I couldn’t help but speed through it.

Its sense of adventure was quite a fun journey. Colin and his best friend, Hassan, go on a road trip together and end up at a place in Tennesee called Gutshot. There, they meet people who illuminate the entertaining, clever sides of Colin and Hassan.

The Theorem about the Katherines who Colin dated was very unique and although I didn’t understand most of what was being explained, it was fun nonetheless to go along with it. There was a full explanation (you didn’t have to read it) at the back of the book by a math expert for the curious ones. I started reading it but then I got completely lost and eventually got distracted.

What I found most interesting was the anagramming. I never even knew about anagramming and I didn’t even know what it was! (To answer your question: yes, I’ve been living under a rock for the past hundred years.) ...Though I did hear about it somewhere. Anagramming becomes important later on in the story. Colin, our main guy, is a natural at anagramming and could anagram a word in his head in less than a second. Is there such a person? There probably is. But anyway, Colin is one heck of a smart guy, a prodigy as a child. It’s enjoyable to get a peek inside of his brain, to see the way he thinks, how he makes connections from one thing to another.

There is nothing like An Abundance of Katherines. Its tone of amusement, knowledge and realization (Eureka!) will guarantee a great read.