Publisher: Dutton
ISBN: 1524743445
Format: Hardback, Paperback, E-Book,
Audio-Book
Release Date: 25th September 2018
Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository
Rating: 8/10
Synopsis:
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.
Review:
*Thanks to PRH Canada for sending me a free copy in return for my honest review. This does not affect my thoughts or opinions in any way**
I've been excited to read this book ever since I found out Hank Green was writing one. I've been a fan of his and his brother's work for the longest time and I love that Hank Green is finally diving into the world of being a published author. I had high hopes and I'm glad to say that I wasn't let down.
This book dived into the struggles on internet fame while also trying to live an everyday life. The protagonist, April May, captures the Carls on video and uploads it online. She faces struggles of becoming an internet sensation over night while also investigating who/what the Carls actually are.
I loved April May. She had her flaws and yet I rooted for her throughout the book. She's a young woman who makes rash decisions which only makes her more relatable. I loved reading about her trying to piece together all the mysteries while also struggling with her new-found-fame. April was to make the world a better place, but just like any person would, she makes many mistakes along the way.
There were many other strong characters in the book. Andy, in particular, was a very well written character. He is smart and very patient with Abby. He is honest and lets her know when she is being a terrible friend. Mia is another friend of April's who you can tell struggles with how mean April can be. She's conflicted about her friend but is still there for her and waits for her to mature and realise the mistakes she has made.
I enjoyed the casual style of the book and April's voice. There were moments of modern reference and humor, as well as the more serious moments which really helped pull the entire book together. There were blog posts, tweets and video transcripts which I really loved.
The book really dived into our addiction of the internet and social media. Hank Green did an excellent job at explaining the struggles of being 'internet famous' and that it is never quite what you expect it to be. I imagine that Hank Green used many of his own experiences and portrayed them through April May. I really loved this particular aspect of the book and the themes explored.
I very much loved the storyline with the Carls. The sci-fi elements of the book were excellently written and full of so many twists and turns that I had no idea what was coming. It was highly creative and I loved the characters trying to guess who and what they exactly were.
The ending of the book ends with a possibility of a sequel and I can definitely see Hank Green continuing the story.
I couldn't put this book down and I'm really happy the high expectations I had for the book weren't wrong. I loved the entire book and I'm super excited to see where Hank Green takes the next book.
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