An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

by Mrs. Stanley's Bookshelf

Posted on October 8, 2012

I have found that I really enjoy John Green's books.  His characters are quirky and fun, but usually just normal teenagers struggling with various issues.  An Abundance of Katherines fits into his usual category, but I think I expected too much from this book.  I loved the premise, and I liked the book, but I felt like he could have taken it in a different direction at times. 

Colin Singleton, a recent high school graduate, embarks on a road trip with his best friend Hassan, in order to get over his latest breakup with Katherine XIX.  Yes, that's right, Colin only dates girls named Katherine....K A T H E R I N E, not Catherine or any other variation.  He also has been dumped by all nineteen of his former Katherines.  Collin was a child prodigy who wants more than anything to reach his potential and become a genius.  He fears that he won't matter and that his abilities in languages, codes, and anagrams will be the only thing that he will ever be good at.  Hassan has been out of high school for a year, but has yet to do anything with his life.  He has taken off a year....or two, or more from going to college.  Their road trip leads them to a small town in Tennesee called Gutshot, where the two boys make friends, get a job, and learn that there is more to life than they originally thought.