An Abundance of Katherines

Book Name - An abundance of Katherines

Author - John Green

Number of pages - 274

Rating - 4/5

I believe that any piece of literature has the power to impact one’s heart, but sometimes you may find something that goes beyond mere influence - it can completely change your worldview. One such book among the few that rocked me at my core was An Abundance of Katherines by renowned author and Tuberculosis connoisseur(?) John Green.

The story follows former child prodigy Colin Singleton (the irony, as you will realize soon enough) as he goes on a road trip with his best friend Hassan to find himself and maybe discover what went wrong in his life. Sounds predictable, doesn’t it? What if I were to tell you he has been dumped 19 times by women all named Katherine? Or that he is on a quest to create a mathematical theorem that can predict the length of any romantic relationship titled The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability? And that he likes to form anagrams on the go? I could blabber on and on about this brilliant yet shockingly stupid protagonist, but that would remove the fun out of reading the book for yourself. However, this is direct proof of the author’s genius and wit - not only is the protagonist but also the supporting characters have fleshed-out personalities to them, and he never bores you with the repetition of certain elements that make this book unique - be it the footnotes sprinkled across the pages, or the

bell curve graphs.

I liked how the author seamlessly switched between the past and present timelines to follow a non-linear storytelling format, and he does justice to the plot via this method - the protagonist’s goals and reasons for quirky behavior are simultaneously explained and applied in the present. More importantly, as the book has been accused multiple times of being all over the place, I would say in response that it is not, because if you look beyond all the accessories, you will be able to grasp the true essence of the book - in the end, it is just about our inescapable mortality, and to focus on the stories present around you instead.

In terms of pacing and overall literary structure, I did not find any flaws. This might be due to my love for Green’s writing, but I believe that anyone ever feeling lonely or out of place might be able to find direction via this book. And the best way to conclude this would be two words: highly recommended!

DID YOU LIKE OUR REVIEW TODAY

• 0%YES ! ADDING TO TBR
• 0%NO, I CAN DO BETTER [SEND IN YOUR REVIEWS]

---