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A review by baoluong
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
4.0
Part “memoir” and part science fiction, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a personal account of a possible first encounter with alien lifeforms. April May walks home from her demanding job at an upstart that still hasn’t paid her yet to pass by what she thinks is an art project. The towering mecha-like sculpture immediately fascinates and prompt her to respond through a sarcastic video with her friend Andy. The two are then propelled into fame as the world soon realizes all of the sculptures, dubbed “Carl” by April, are stranger than fiction.
What I appreciate about this book is simply the fact that April is a self-destructive human being who constantly makes terrible decisions. Her newfound fame begins to strip away her sense of individuality as she constantly puts herself on display. The way she treats those closest to her and the nerve she has to divide people into fans or not fans is pretty despicable. It never crosses the line however so she’s somehow always on the “right side of morality”. Honestly, I don’t think there is a better person to be the voice of this odd journey. Not the most wholesome but definitely not boring.
Instead, the story picks up momentum when the larger mystery at hand unfolds. What are the Carls and where do they come from? A world-wide effort to piece together the puzzle will have humanity drawing lines in a battle for the future. April stands at the head of it all in a role that’s more relegated to humanity’s ambassador rather than space fighting. So, this isn’t the action packed, star wars of life and death. The central conflict plays out on a smaller scale with April at the center of it all.
I recommend this to fans of the Green bothers, but also for weird hyper-realities about a plausible contingent in our existence. Let me know what you think down in the comments. ☟ I’m still trying to figure the twist at the end and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
B L O G 🐶
What I appreciate about this book is simply the fact that April is a self-destructive human being who constantly makes terrible decisions. Her newfound fame begins to strip away her sense of individuality as she constantly puts herself on display. The way she treats those closest to her and the nerve she has to divide people into fans or not fans is pretty despicable. It never crosses the line however so she’s somehow always on the “right side of morality”. Honestly, I don’t think there is a better person to be the voice of this odd journey. Not the most wholesome but definitely not boring.
Instead, the story picks up momentum when the larger mystery at hand unfolds. What are the Carls and where do they come from? A world-wide effort to piece together the puzzle will have humanity drawing lines in a battle for the future. April stands at the head of it all in a role that’s more relegated to humanity’s ambassador rather than space fighting. So, this isn’t the action packed, star wars of life and death. The central conflict plays out on a smaller scale with April at the center of it all.
I recommend this to fans of the Green bothers, but also for weird hyper-realities about a plausible contingent in our existence. Let me know what you think down in the comments. ☟ I’m still trying to figure the twist at the end and I’m not sure how I feel about it.
B L O G 🐶