An Absolutely Remarkable Thing explores fame, celebrity, power, uncertainty, fear of the unknown, friendship, selfishness, media frenzy, and more. Lively, absorbing, and original, Hank Green's debut novel offers lots of food for thought in a refreshing and engaging way, with an appealing, funny protagonist and very compelling story. As a few people become more and more frightened, April becomes the focus of their anger, and a target in their crosshairs, too. As the unwitting ambassador to the Carls, April faces tremendous opposition as she tries to use her celebrity to put a positive spin on something no one really knows anything about. Is this a massive art installment, or the start of an alien invasion? When people around the world all start having the same dream, answers about the Carls seem further away than ever before, but are definitely leaning more toward alien invasion. And it turns out that more than 60 other Carls appeared in cities all over the world. Practically overnight, April becomes a huge celebrity with a channel, and even a brand, to maintain and protect. Andy and April record and upload a video of April's first up-close look at the sculpture, which she dubs Carl. How or when the sculpture got there is a complete mystery. She notices a giant sculpture of what looks like a Transformer on the street near her apartment. Other strong themes offering food for thought are the power of celebrity, fear of the unknown, and how we can handle experiences, especially negative ones, in a positive way.ĪN ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE THING happens late one night as 22-year-old April makes her way home from her crummy job at a New York startup company. Strong language is also rare but includes "f-k," "s-t," and "d-k" used in calling names.
Rare violence includes April in peril from attempted murder by shooting, and a direct but non-gory description of someone trapped in a burning building, a roof beam hitting the skull, and burning skin. She's currently in a same-sex relationship that mentions some kissing and having sex without any detailed descriptions. April identifies as bisexual and briefly addresses sexual preference once or twice. The book asks a lot of questions about the power of that kind of celebrity, and about the ways in which social media divides and unites people. April's just out of college and starting out in New York City, which she loves, and she becomes an internationally famous social media star practically overnight.
With protagonist April in her early 20s, it's not marketed strictly at teens, but there's a lot of appeal here. Parents need to know that An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a science-fiction story by Hank Green, the driving force along with his brother John of several popular science and "nerd-power" YouTube channels.
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