An Abundance of Katherines

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An Abundance of Katherines
John Green
2006

The Summary

Colin Singleton, a young man gifted with an exception skill for mathematics and anagrams, has realized his relationships can be categorized by one word, a name:  Katherine.

Not Catherine.  Not Cathy.  Not Kate.  Just Katherine.  And there have been 19, all of whom have dumped him.

But, now recovering from Katherine XIX (19), Colin is on a mission with his best friend, Hassan, to prove the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability and, more importantly, escape the dreaded name of Katherine - and, maybe, survey the tome of a dead archduke.

The Good

John Green's novel is hilarious and witty, well-written, well-executed - a fine piece of literature to read, savor, and enjoy.  Not only does the author provide an enjoyable setting, unique in its design and characters and back story, he creates exception characters who are easy to know and, more importantly, love.

Both Colin and Hassan have a sense of humor that's undeniably funny, and Lindsey is an easily enjoyable accompanying protagonist in the tiny town of Gutshot.  More to the point, the small footnotes applied throughout the book, explaining Colin's past, his thougts, and his ideas concerning his latest mathematical equations, give the novel a unique feel and tone.

It's funny, it's sweet, it's memorable.

The Bad

Although this novel is relatively mild, there are some mature themes.  You'll find some language (at times thinly veiled, and at other times not so thinly veiled), alcohol use, and mentions of sex.  As expected, not for an exceptionally young audience.

The Ugly

Break ups can be pretty ugly when it gets right down to it.  You'll find a lot of collateral damage - and, sometimes, black eyes.