An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

by Hank Green
341 pgs  (The Carls series #1)

When April May, a recent art school graduate, stumbles across a 10-foot tall metal statue in the middle of the sidewalk late at night, a statue that wasn't there the night before, she decides, on a whim, to call her friend Andy to meet her there and record a video of her "interviewing" it that they can post on YouTube for laughs.

"Carl," as she names the statue, is something of a cross between a Transformer and a samurai, and while she doesn't think much about it at the time, there's something not quite right with it. Not only has it appeared without any explanation or ceremony in the middle of a New York sidewalk, it also doesn't feel right when she touches it. It's not cold, like it should be on a cold evening in new York. After they film her tongue-in-cheek interview with Carl, she goes home to bed, leaving Andy to edit the video and post it. When she wakes up the next morning, the whole world has changed.

It turns out Carl is one of 64 "Carls" that seem to have appeared simultaneously all over the world. No one knows what they are, who made them, or how they came to be in any of their locations. The Internet is dominated with people speculating about them, and since the first online account of any of them is April and Andy's video, April has become famous all around the world overnight.

In a matter of days, April's life changes from being a recent college graduate with more than $100,000 in student debt, to that of an A-list celebrity with an agent, a book deal, who commands thousands of dollars for each news interview and TV appearance she does.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is the first book published by Hank Green, adn it itself is a remarkable thing. It's a fun and engaging science fiction story, but it's also a very timely reflection on the culture of celebrity, social media, and many people's obsession for collecting clicks, likes, and followers that has become so prevalent today.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆