An Abundance of Katherines

Title: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Group (2006)
Genre: young adult, contemporary fiction, geek romance
Pages: 227

Description
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

One a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousad dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his tail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predit the future of all relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. (from cover)

Reaction
I’m very much not a math person, but I loved this book. John Green is one of my favorite authors, and An Abundance of Katherines is one of the reasons why. Colin is quirky and nerdy and witty, all the things I love in a main character, and his dogged pursuit of his Theorum is very charming. It's also an original reaction to heartbreak. I'm not a big fan of romance, normally, but when it's done well and un-sappily, I really enjoy it.

I did have a few problems with the resolution of the book, because it felt at the same time too perfectly wrapped up, and yet also somehow like it had left a few strings dangling. But overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Design
I love the hardback cover, pictured here, and hate the paperback cover so much that I actually refused to buy the book until I could find a used copy of the hardback. The good cover looks quirky, geeky, vaguely unisex, and very unique; the bad one looks like your typical boring teen romance, with a dash of Stepford Wives.

The interior (of the hardback at least) is also really cool, complete with witty footnotes and an appendix.

Extra Points
Geek love. Yay!

Final Rating

4/5 Despite some minor issues, still a great read!