An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Another young adult book written by John Green and was release on year 2006. The story stars a young prodigy, who loves anagram, named Colin Singleton.

Being a smart kid, the story deals mostly with mathematics and equations that sometimes scare the readers though at the end, you'll realize that he's just an ordinary teen dealing with life and love.

Characters

• Colin Singleton - a Jewish 17-year old guy who loves anagram and maintained a status of being a prodigy
• Hassan Harbish - a lazy obese Muslim guy and a best friend to Colin
• Lindsey Lee Wells - a paramedic in training and has been Colin and Hassan's tour guide on the tomb of Archduke

Synopsis

Colin Singleton has been treated as a prodigy since he was a kid and wishes to be acknowledge as a genius. Being dumped recently by her 19th girlfriend who by any coincidence (or intentionally for the 19th time) was named Katherine, he went out on an adventure with his best friend Hassan.

On their way, they stopped at a town where the tourist spot known as the tomb of the Archduke was said to be found. There they met Lindsey in a store and volunteered herself as the duo's tour guide. Later he and Hassan settled themselves on the town to work for Lindsey's mom and here Colin started to work on his formula hoping to create an equation that will determine the curve of any relationship based on several factors of the personalities of the two people in a relationship. Having the experience of being dumped from nineteen Katherine (or as he remembers it), he thinks he can do the proper calculation for this.

As time goes by, Colin and Lindsey gets closer by knowing each other's secrets and helping him in his equation. But with the equation he was able to resolved, he seems to be afraid that their relationship may come in the end too.

What I Can Say

Well, I have no math anxiety nor arithmophobia and in fact, I actually love math and numbers. But reading the story made my head ache and skipped some parts where Green has to explain the Math parts, because honestly, I think the story would still live even without elaborating on those subject.. it just made my head ache. :P

The geekiness of the main character made me hate him in the start since he sound as a stubborn nerd. But as the story progresses and the author starts unfolding the characteristics of Colin, you'll soon understand his actions. For me, he's just a teen looking for his rightful place in this giant playground called life. As far as experience goes, every person suffer or at least felt the same way in their life where everyone keeps on searching for something making themselves look like jerks.

Quoted from the Book

"Prodigies can very quickly learn what other people have already figured out; geniuses discover that which no one has ever previously discovered."

- Colin Singleton

"I don't think you can ever fill the empty space with the thing you lost. Like getting TOC to date you doesn't fix the Alpo event. I don't think your missing pieces ever fit inside you once they go missing."

-Colin Singleton

I feel like, like, how you matter is defined by the things that matter to you. You matter as much as the things that matter to you do.

- Lindsey Lee Wells

The thing about chameleoning your way through life is that it gets to where nothing is real

- Lindsey Lee Wells

But I always wonder about that. If people could see met the way I see myself -- If they could live in my memories -- would anyone, anyone, love me?

- Colin Singleton

"Everywhere man blames nature and fate, yet his fate is mostly but the echo of his character and passions, his mistakes and weaknesses"

Rating

3 out of 5