Title: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Author: Hank Green
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 352 (Hardcover)
Publisher: Dutton
Publication date: September 25th, 2018
Synopsis from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing's Goodreads page
In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green--cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow--spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.
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.
Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye.
Synopsis from An Absolutely Remarkable Thing's Goodreads page
In his much-anticipated debut novel, Hank Green--cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow--spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.
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.
Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring from the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye.
THOUGHTS
Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Penguin Random House for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review!
I have been looking forward to this book coming out since Hank announced it however many months ago - and after months and months of (very impatiently) waiting, I FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON IT!
After all that waiting, I had VERY high hopes for this book. And I can honestly say - it reached the bar, and then went WELL beyond it. (Sorry for all the caps guys, but I'M OBSESSED).
This book takes place in modern NYC, with the main character stumbling across 'Carl' on her early morning walk home from work. She calls her best friend, and he comes and the two of them make a video about Carl. What they didn't know, was that there were dozens of Carls placed around the world, and he doesn't seem...normal.
The entire premise of this book is absolutely fantastic. I loved how Carl started out as an art statement, but he turned into so much more over the course of the book. It shows how something that some people see as insignificant others can see as extremely important, and how that same thing can change the world.
I loved the characters in this book as well. They all had something about them that I adored, and something that drove me crazy, but that's what great characters are like. They have good things and bad things about them, and that's what makes them seem more realistic and relate-able, and that was done wonderfully in this book.
The setting was also awesome, and I loved how dynamic and changing it was over the course of the book, as well as the descriptions.
The entire book was absolutely wonderful, and I loved every second of it. The only reason that it doesn't get a solid 5/5 from me is because that ending murdered my soul and I cannot wait for another book to find out what in the world is going to happen!
If you take anything from me about this book, just know this - This book is ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE.
Overall - ★★★★☆.5
I have been looking forward to this book coming out since Hank announced it however many months ago - and after months and months of (very impatiently) waiting, I FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON IT!
After all that waiting, I had VERY high hopes for this book. And I can honestly say - it reached the bar, and then went WELL beyond it. (Sorry for all the caps guys, but I'M OBSESSED).
This book takes place in modern NYC, with the main character stumbling across 'Carl' on her early morning walk home from work. She calls her best friend, and he comes and the two of them make a video about Carl. What they didn't know, was that there were dozens of Carls placed around the world, and he doesn't seem...normal.
The entire premise of this book is absolutely fantastic. I loved how Carl started out as an art statement, but he turned into so much more over the course of the book. It shows how something that some people see as insignificant others can see as extremely important, and how that same thing can change the world.
I loved the characters in this book as well. They all had something about them that I adored, and something that drove me crazy, but that's what great characters are like. They have good things and bad things about them, and that's what makes them seem more realistic and relate-able, and that was done wonderfully in this book.
The setting was also awesome, and I loved how dynamic and changing it was over the course of the book, as well as the descriptions.
The entire book was absolutely wonderful, and I loved every second of it. The only reason that it doesn't get a solid 5/5 from me is because that ending murdered my soul and I cannot wait for another book to find out what in the world is going to happen!
If you take anything from me about this book, just know this - This book is ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE.
Overall - ★★★★☆.5
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