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Synopsis (From Goodreads):
The Carls just appeared. Coming home from work at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her friend Andy make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--everywhere from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.
Now April has to deal with the pressure on her relationships, her identity, and her safety that this new position brings, all while being on the front lines of the quest to find out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.
Review:
I have been a big fan of Hank Green ever since he made high school U.S. History entertaining with his Crash Course videos on YouTube. As his brother John's fame as a writer increased, is it any wonder that Hank would have a go at writing a novel, himself? Well, I'm an certainly thankful he did. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is filled with fun characters, out of this world situations, and lots to say about people who are "internet famous".
What I Liked:
Characters:I really liked all the characters, especially Andy, Mia, and Miranda. Andy has been one of April's best friends since college. He is smart, and infinitely patient with April. Far from a pushover, he lets April know when she is being a terrible friend. Mia is April's girlfriend. When April is being awful, you can see how conflicted Mia is. She loves her, but she also waits for April mature (it might be a long wait). Miranda, a Physics student, meets April as she searches out what the Carls really are. I liked how she represented a fangirl in this scenario.
Story:
The story of what the Carls were, and what it all meant, was highly creative. I really didn't know what to expect out of this book, so I loved all the twists and turns of the story. It also went from the superficial (insta-fame, insta-wealth) to the serious (harassment, mass-hysteria, terrorism) quickly. This makes for a wild roller-coaster of a read.
Narrators:
The book is narrated by the main character, April May. Kristen Sieh does a great job portraying April as a snarky twenty-something who, outwardly, doesn't seem to care about anything. She also conveys how sincere April is to fix the situation when she messes everything up.
Hank Green also makes a brief appearance at the end of the book as one of the characters. It was fun to have him reading this section, and he did a credible acting job.
Themes:
This book takes a look at how crazy internet fame can be. When April and her friend Andy make a video showing their discovery of what they think is a cool art sculpture, the clip goes viral. Soon millions of people have watched the video and now want to hear more from April and Andy. Mere days later, they have an agent, and are making the rounds of news programs and late-night talk shows. Strange, but not unlikely in today's society.
The book takes a darker turn when it explores how April evolves into a political pundit. If you've watched CNN or MSNBC then you've seen these people who are trotted out to argue, and speak over each other. They are basically being paid to be obnoxious. The more outlandish their arguments are, the better for ratings. It made me start to think about how networks manipulate news stories in order to scare viewers, and keep them watching their shows.
What I Was Mixed About:
I was very conflicted about April May, the main character. On the one hand, she is one of those people who enjoys the spotlight so much that she doesn't seem to mind using others to keep her fame going. But she is also creative, and has an optimism about the world (and the Carls) that compels others to follow her. She also gains some perspective (albeit at the end of the book) that allows her to see her mistakes and own them.Sometimes I really hated her, such as when she was obviously using someone. At other times, it was heart-breaking to watch as she came to realize some uncomfortable truths about herself. But, what redeemed it for me was how she never wavered in her belief that the Carls were good. She also never gave up on the human race to do the right thing.
What I Didn't Like:
via GIPHY
Rating:
Release Date: September 25th, 2018
Genre: Science Fiction
Author: Hank Green
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrators: Kristen Sieh, and Hank Green
Listening Length: 9 Hours and 25 Minutes
Page Length: 320 Pages
Format: Audio Book
Source: Publisher
Recommendation: With much to say about our current culture of internet stardom and the 24-hour news cycle, this book was both highly relevant and entertaining.
Wow, you already read this! This book is my most anticipated read of the year. I am so glad you enjoyed this book so much. It has increased my expectations.
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