When I first started reading Hank Green’s debut novel An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, I expected it to be an ordinary new adult coming of age novel. However, my expectations were quickly shattered, but in the most absolutely remarkable way.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing follows the main character April May. April is a 23-year-old recent art school graduate. One day when April is walking home from work at 3 a.m., she stumbles upon a ten-foot-tall Transformer-like sculpture in the middle of a sidewalk. She is so mesmerized by the robot that she decides she wants to make a YouTube video about the giant sculpture. She calls her friend Andy and they make a video about the robot sculpture, which April dubs as Carl. The video gets uploaded and April goes home and falls asleep not knowing how that one video will change her life. The next day when she wakes up April learns that the Carl she made a video about is only one of many sculptures that were put up in major cities across the globe. April’s video ends up going viral and it’s revealed that the Carls end up being more mysterious than just another crazy art instillation. So, what starts off as a normal coming of age novel quickly turns into an epic sci-fi as April and the entire world work to solve puzzles so they can figure out what the Carls are and why they have come to Earth.
As April is the main protagonist of the novel, she has some qualities that make her extremely likable. She is quirky, funny, confident and strong-willed. The qualities made her relatable and her internal thoughts were super hilarious to read. However, April was also extremely self-involved. At some points in the book, I would find myself so annoyed with her, but April’s character progression and flawed personality made her feel less like a fictional character and instead more human. I also enjoyed the many other characters that are involved with helping April learn more about the Carls. Their dynamics are great and the way in which they interact is very realistic.
While the characters in the stories made this book enjoyable, the many twists and turns throughout the plot are what kept me invested. I do not usually enjoy science fiction books, but this is one I could not put down. There were so many frustrating and surprising events that happened, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat trying to solve the mystery. However, I was slightly disappointed with the ending because it was a cliffhanger. A sequel has yet to be confirmed but many have hopes that there will be a second book so unanswered questions can be resolved
While the book was funny and action-packed, it also highlighted the divisive nature of our society. In this novel, there were the people who trusted the Carls and those who did not. They were constantly battling each other on the news and on social media. This made the book serve as a commentary of the power social media and the internet have in our society. It can make or break careers and it can divide or unite us.
I went into this book with high hopes and they were most definitely met. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing has been my favorite read of the year so far and Hank Green is an author I cannot wait to read more from. I rate this book 4.5 stars out of 5 and recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading about aliens with mysterious intentions that visit Earth.
