Young adult fiction is a quickly developing genre of literature. The genre is typically marketed towards adolescents and young adults, however, it is enjoyed by a wide variety of people, including adults trying to experience youth again. Young adult fiction, also known as young adult literature, is written in a teenage language and writing style so the marketed readers can thoroughly understand it. The storyline is often full of relatable dilemmas teens face on a daily basis. Themes commonly presented in young adult fiction are usually controversial as teenagers learn things about the world and grow into adulthood. John Green’s novel, An Abundance of Katherines, fits extremely well within the young adult fiction genre. The storyline in young adult fiction novels is an extremely important component of the genre. Firstly, realistic yet problematic situations act as catalysts in the protagonist’s growth and development. (Donnelson and Nilson) In the novel, Colin Singleton’s problem of not being able to perfect his dumper versus dumpee predictability equation causes his much stress and leads him to the realization of many important life lessons. He realizes through the completion of his theorem that you can never truly predict the outcome of a relationship, it all depends on how much the two people really mean to each other. (Green) As seen in the novel, realistic yet problematic situations keep the novel relatable to its readers. Secondly, in young adult fiction novels, the protagonist removes themself from their parents so they may experience freedom and take on their quest on their own. (Donnelson and Nilson) For example, Colin Singleton and Hassan Harbish decide it would be best if they went on a road trip together without their parents, “All we have to do is go to my house, pick up some clothes, and miraculously convince my parents to let me go on a road trip. I haven’t escaped their
Cited: Bucher, Katherine Toth, and M. Lee. Manning. Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2006. Print. Donelson, Kenneth L., and Alleen Pace Nilsen. Literature for Today 's Young Adults. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1980. Print. Green, John. An Abundance of Katherines. New York, NY: Dutton, 2006. Print. Wells, April Dawn. Themes Found in Young Adult Literature. Carolina Digital Repository. University of North Carolina, Apr. 2003. Web.