Are you unique? What makes you—you? That's one of the big questions An Abundance of Katherines asks us to think about. We've got a washed-up child prodigy who wants to matter, but he's just not sure if he's unique any more. Then we've got Lindsey who's faked it so much that she's one big phony most of the time—she wants to fit in, so she pretends to be nerdy/ditzy/southern just to do so. It's easy to lose sight of who we really are deep down in our cores, and this book is all about questing to get in touch with our true selves.
Questions About Individuality
- Is Colin unique? Is he special in the way that he wants to be, or in a different way?
- Why does Lindsey pretend to be a bunch of different personalities? Do we ever find out which one is the real deal?
- How do characters express their individuality in the novel? Lindsey is sure that TOC and Katrina are exactly as they seem. Why? Do you buy it?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
No one in An Abundance of Katherines is really an individual. Lindsey, Katherine, and even Colin are really just stereotypes.
Colin is unique because all he knows is how to be is himself.