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Ever since his first relationship with his tutor's daughter, Colin has dated a long string of Katherines- 19 to be exact. Once praised as a child prodigy, we follow Colin as he journeys through his most recent breakup on a road trip with his best friend, Hassan. Drawn in by a historical artifact, the boys find themselves in a tiny town called Gutshot, Tennessee. Upon arrival, they befriend their tour guide Lindsey Lee Wells, are introduced to her friends and boyfriend, and soon are calling their parents to let them know they plan on staying in Gutshot for a while. Given a summer job by Lindsey’s mother, Hollis, the trio spends their time interviewing the unique characters in Gutshot and documenting what they find.

Although for periods of the book there were no major events going on, seeing things through Colin’s point of view and hearing his inner monologue kept the book interesting. I really enjoyed seeing his relationship with the other characters develop and watching him mature as a young adult by working to solve his own problems. Soon after he begins his stay in Gutshot, Colin sets his sights on creating a formula that will graph relationships and predict the outcome. This occupies most of his time and he even draws in others to help him, like Lindsey. To me, this was the most confusing part of the book because I am not someone who excels at math, but near the back of the book the author explains it in depth and relates it to the story. Overall, Colin’s formula is a key part of the novel but it’s not difficult to enjoy the book if you don’t quite understand it or like math.

What I liked most about this book was the deep character development. We learn the most about Colin, but also get to know Lindsey and Hassan really well. Hassan’s humor throughout the book keeps Colin’s sadness about Katherine lighthearted and Lindsey’s spunky attitude always draws out the best in the boys. Lindsey’s relationship with her mom, who she solely refers to as Hollis, is rare in the way that they treat each other; they are more like best friends than mother and daughter. Hollis chooses to let Lindsey be herself and independent and even lets her have a say in the decisions made about the family company. Lindsey is well-loved by the whole town, and most even recall memories from when she was a baby. Although she doesn’t visit some of the oldest members of Gutshot very often, they are more than excited to see her and welcome her back into their lives when she does visit them while interviewing. Lindsey’s desire to stay in the small town is intriguing and leaves me to wonder why such a lively and outgoing girl would want to stay in such a small enclosed town, but it becomes increasingly clear how much she loves Gutshot and all of the people in it. Another thing I really enjoyed about this book was the ending. I won’t spoil it here, but it was not what I expected and finished off the story very nicely. I would rate this book at 9/10 because it is very easy to become lost in the story and feel as though you are friends with the characters and joining them in their adventures.

Check out An Abundance of Katherines at the Newport Beach Public Library.