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An Abundance of Katherines

Book Summary

Reviewed by Matt Berman

Colin, former child prodigy, just-graduated high school valedictorian, just dumped by the nineteenth girl he has dated named Katherine (well, eighteenth really, one of them dumped him twice), is in a deep funk. He is worried that all of his early promise will add up to nothing, that he won't matter or ever have a "eureka" moment, and that his talents, for absorbing knowledge, working hard, languages, trivia, and anagrams, aren't really of any use at all in the real world.

His best friend, Hassan, a genial, if lazy, lout decides Colin needs a road trip. Soon they wash up in Gutshot, Tennessee, supposed final resting place of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, where they get a job recording oral histories from the town's residents. While there Colin works on what he sees as his last shot at mattering: a mathematical formula to predict the course of romantic relationships, The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability. Includes an Appendix explaining the math behind the Theorem.

Is It Any Good?

4

Up until the flat-footed finale, in which Colin's rather obvious and trite revelations and epiphanies are expounded at too-great length, this delightful exercise in geek-chic fairly hums along on the strength of three central characters who have not only failed to live up to their potential, they have no clue as to what their potential is.

This book isn't for everyone, though. There's no plot to speak of, no action except for one fight, and reading it assumes at least a tolerance of, if not interest in, the things that interest Colin -- and the author. But for bright kids who like intriguing characters and intellectual play, it's lots of fun.

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