Book Review: An Abundance of Katherines

Book Review: An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines is a novel by John Green, which is based around the journey of two friends; Colin: a child prodigy, and Hassan, his best friend. The strange thing with Colin is that he only seems to want to date girls with the name Katherine. But, all the Katherines he has ever dated, including the latest one, have dumped him, or so he believes. Morose and Heartbroken by being dumped by the latest Katherine; K-19 (Katherine no. 19), he starts for a road trip with Hassan, which will eventually change Colin’s whole outlook on love,life and relationships in general.

Through a series of mishaps and “shaking up the snow globe (of life)” as Hassan puts, they come to a point of realization; “A Eureka Moment”. The book has a gripping plot and all the characters are well-defined. The plot also has its share of twists and turns, which makes the story even more exciting. In the novel, you can see the gradual changes in the characters and it leaves one with an introspective mind.

An Abundance of Katherines Soure

Your thoughts grow with the book, as the plot becomes more defined, and in some cases, your inner conflicts can also be flipped, sunny side up, through the conflicts, that the characters face. You also realize through Colin, that the world doesn’t revolve around you (or perhaps, it does) and also teaches some values, which make our character, like friendship and sacrifice.

It teaches us to be patient, yet working our way to happiness, and it also reinforces the fact, that future is always unpredictable, no matter what you do or how much you plan. It also makes us realize that what we think is the only source/sources through which we can be happy can change completely.

It also has many complex equations which are really are to understand and some relatively easy graphs, which can be understood, if one is interested, even to someone who is really bad at math, like me. But if you don’t like them, you can easily skip them out, and it won’t affect the flow in any way. Though I would recommend going through them, as it makes things more practical and realistic. There are footnotes as well, which not only make you understand things but also make you laugh through some fun-facts and wit.

In total, keeping an account of the plot, the presentation, uniqueness, the distinct style, the moral, the humor quotient and the individual character differentiations, I would give, An Abundance of Katherines, an 8.5/10.

Overall I really enjoyed the book because it was like I was having a life lesson! Colin’s theory would only reveal the past and it could not show the future, so we learn that we don’t know who we will become, as the future is unpredictable and we are always changing.

Rotator Picture Source