An Abundance of Katherines by John Green: Review

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 Katherines. 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 finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself. (Amazon)

I happened across this book while perusing the shelves of my favorite used bookstore. I had been hearing all kinds of wonderful things about John Green and thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did.  An Abundance of Katherines starts out in Chicago and brings you on a roadtrip to escape from heartache and winds up in Gutshot, Tennessee, which turns out to be right where you want to be. The small town atmosphere is charming, of course, but it's the characters that grab your attention and won't let go.

Colin's best friend, Hassan is hilarious and smart in all the ways Colin is not and they really make the perfect duo. While Colin can astound or annoy Hassan with his random knowledge, Hassan tries (sometimes in vain)  to explain social situations to Colin.  The characters are all people you want to get to know better.

This is a hilarious and touching coming of age story about growing up and being who you are supposed to be.

My Rating: