I'm embarrassed at how long it took me to get around to reading this book. But I was spurred on by the imminent release of the film version of The Fault in Our Stars and also by seeing a discount copy of Katherines at Half Price Books. Sad, I know. I think one reason I didn't prioritize this book was that I didn't really like the title - so how shallow am I? For some reason, any reference to "Katherines" (particularly in the plural) suggests a history text to me, so I kept blowing past it on the bookshelves without picking it up.
I'm glad that I did read it. I enjoyed this book so much more than the last John Green book I read, Paper Towns, although I have to admit that Fault in Our Stars is still my favorite. Katherines deals with a young man (Colin) who is struggling to break - or at least mathematically explain - his penchant for falling in love with girls called Katherine (must be spelled this way) and their ultimate dumping of him. It's happened 19 times for him and it's killing him. He goes on a road trip with his best friend to try and get over the latest breakup, and as they settle in a small rural town and pick up a kind of weird and cool summer job, Colin tries to create a theorem to explain his past romantic failures. In the process, he makes new friends and new enemies and comes to terms with who he truly is (and importantly who he isn't). A gifted child from a very young age, Colin is troubled by the fact that he hasn't made a significant mark on the world and he may never do so. He's hoping his theorem about his Katherine-failures may be the breakthrough he needs.
The story is written in Green's own tongue-in-cheek inimitable style. This one, however, makes use of footnotes, graphs and other things academic which are hysterical, particularly for those of us coming from an academic tradition generally - although, like Green, my strongsuit is definitely NOT math. It's a fun and easy read. I flew through it in an evening. But that doesn't mean it's a lightweight story. Even though the ending is kinda predictable, it's the themes and characters that make it unique and memorable. So I must berate myself for not wanting to read a book with "Katherines" in the title. Note to self - don't judge a book by its title!
I'm glad that I did read it. I enjoyed this book so much more than the last John Green book I read, Paper Towns, although I have to admit that Fault in Our Stars is still my favorite. Katherines deals with a young man (Colin) who is struggling to break - or at least mathematically explain - his penchant for falling in love with girls called Katherine (must be spelled this way) and their ultimate dumping of him. It's happened 19 times for him and it's killing him. He goes on a road trip with his best friend to try and get over the latest breakup, and as they settle in a small rural town and pick up a kind of weird and cool summer job, Colin tries to create a theorem to explain his past romantic failures. In the process, he makes new friends and new enemies and comes to terms with who he truly is (and importantly who he isn't). A gifted child from a very young age, Colin is troubled by the fact that he hasn't made a significant mark on the world and he may never do so. He's hoping his theorem about his Katherine-failures may be the breakthrough he needs.
The story is written in Green's own tongue-in-cheek inimitable style. This one, however, makes use of footnotes, graphs and other things academic which are hysterical, particularly for those of us coming from an academic tradition generally - although, like Green, my strongsuit is definitely NOT math. It's a fun and easy read. I flew through it in an evening. But that doesn't mean it's a lightweight story. Even though the ending is kinda predictable, it's the themes and characters that make it unique and memorable. So I must berate myself for not wanting to read a book with "Katherines" in the title. Note to self - don't judge a book by its title!
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