Read It & Review: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

“I have the story, and so I get to tell it to you the way I want. That means you get to understand me, not just my story, so don't be surprised if there's some drama. I'm going to attempt to come at this account honestly, but I'll also admit to a significant pro-me bias. If you get anything out of this, ideally it won't be you being more or less on one side or the other, but simply understanding that I am (or at least was) human.” – p 1, Ch. 1

Plot Summary

April May, a twenty-something living in New York City, discovers a 10-foot tall statue on a sidewalk while she is walking home from work. She calls her videographer friend, Andy Skampt, and they take a video of the statue they name “Carl” and post it online. Overnight, it goes viral and she becomes an internet celebrity.

The Carls are all around the world and all appeared at the same time. April and her friends try and solve the mystery behind the Carls.

Spoilers Ahead: Read at Your Own Risk!

General Thoughts

Hank Green is a unique writer and his style is something I’ve never encountered in a novel before. He creates plots that move you through the story quickly, and talks about a lot, but you don’t feel rushed. In this book, he also makes it clear that the main character, April May, is talking directly to the reader and the book itself actually exists in her world.

He discusses friendships and relationships, online and internet culture, and (although not overtly) politics. He also makes poignant commentary on social media and the impact it can have on individuals and society overall.

This novel is so different and it doesn’t sit in one specific genre, which makes it hard to define. The best way to describe it is a contemporary, sci-fi, and maybe even a coming-of-age story. Like I said, he covers a lot of ground.

April isn't a character I can personally relate to, not just because our lives are so different, but because he made April unlikable at times. Sometimes authors still and try and make characters likeable, but I’m glad even though it was written from her perspective it wasn’t forced that you must like her. She realizes her flaws, and she did do some things that made her a bad friend/girlfriend and made some questionable decisions, one of which leads to her death.

Read Again?

Yes! I actually re-read this so I can go into the sequel to this novel, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor with a fresh idea of what happened. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing truly leaves you on a cliffhanger and (I believe) needed at least one more book to finish out this story.

I remember the first time reading it saying out loud to myself: “Are you kidding me?! There better be a sequel!” Thank goodness there is one and I can’t wait to dive in. Stay tuned for a future review of A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor!

Writing Style: 3/5

Story: 4/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5

Have you read An Absolutely Remarkable Thing? Share your thoughts in the comments below!