A road trip leads to personal reflection and revelation

Green, J. (2006). An abundance of Katherines. New York, NY: Dutton Books. The story begins when the main character, Colin Singleton, is once again experiencing heartbreak after being dumped by his girlfriend, Katherine XIX, not long after his high school graduation. Not only is he struggling with his love life but Colin’s self-esteem is suffering from being a child prodigy who, in his own mind, is not a genius, because “Prodigies learn; geniuses do.” (Green, 2006, p. 10)

He has only one other friend on which to lean, Hassan, who suggests they take a road trip to divert Colin from his heartbreak. Their journey takes them to Gutshot, Tennessee, where oddly enough, they are hired to research the background of the small community. During their time there, Colin and Hassan both develop unexpected friendships and finally, Colin begins to develop his theorem that explains the history of his love life.

My favorite aspect of this novel is the friendship between Hassan and Colin. Hassan serves as a wonderful foil for Colin; his carefree attitude and lack of ambition at once irritate Colin while providing a much-needed perspective on life. And Colin’s ambition and single-mindedness in turn influences Hassan to make the necessary changes to his own path. All in all, An Abundance of Katherines is sure to satisfy readers in high school and beyond.

#roadtrip #relationships #youngadultfiction #friendship