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An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - Reviews Without Spoilers

Reviews Without Spoilers is a series in which I review the books I've read without giving away any more than the inside cover plot summary would.



Parents tend to say that they don't compare their kids. We all know that's probably not true, but it's definitely not true of us as a society. So, when I first heard that Hank Green (of vlogbrothers, Crash Course, SciShow, Dear Hank and John, etc.) was publishing a novel, I couldn't help but mentally compare him to his brother John Green (The Fault in Our Stars, Turtles All the Way Down, also The Anthropocene Reviewed, vlogbrothers, Dear Hank and John, Crash Course Literature, etc.).

I've read many a John Green novel. I say that it was to keep up with my students, so I could relate to them about their favorite books, but the truth is that I just love a good YA novel. The best of them bring honesty to real life problems, not only for teens, but for all of us. Turtles All the Way Down felt that way for me. Sure, the plot had some unrealistic premises, but doesn't every novel? To me, the more important part was that the main character's struggle with OCD felt honest, relatable, and eye-opening, providing new insight for readers without firsthand experience of that kind of mental illness.

I knew Hank was similarly capable of holding profound discussions based on my regular viewing of vlogbrothers (my all time favorite YouTube channel - no joke). My hope was that Hank's novel would be as insightful as his more serious videos, while still holding his humor from others. Aside from that, I was honestly afraid for Hank. As the younger brother of a bestselling author (several times over), I just hoped that he wasn't going to embarrass himself. Insightfully serious humor and a clear comparison to a bestselling author. That's a pretty high bar. And in all honesty, Hank far surpassed my expectations.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing isn't intended to be an obnoxiously arrogant title (like A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers...ugh, calm down, Dave). Instead, Green's title refers to the main event of the novel: giant Transformer-like robot-looking things that appear all over the world. When April May, the protagonist, first encounters one such robot-statue (which she names Carl because of course), she marvels at the craftsmanship of the stunning sculpture, calling art like this "AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND REMARKABLE THING" that people in NYC just don't pay enough attention to because there's so much other good art around. [Side bar: I'm glad he took "perfect" out of the title, or it really might have sounded a lot more arrogant.]

Unlike John Green's books, which all center around teens, April May is in her twenties and fresh out of college. That 10-year age difference between protagonists immediately set the Green brothers apart, and I couldn't have been happier about it. While April May is still relatively young, writing her as a decade older than John's characters took Hank out of the YA-only sphere and into an adult-friendly space, too. Don't get me wrong, this book is still a solid young adult read, but, as a twenty-something myself, I absolutely loved reading an age-relevant character.

Hank Green's novel is just so Hank. It's sciency, political, imperfect, relatable, contemporary, and honest. I could see every facet of Hank's nerd-dom in the pages. So, if you love Hank, you will adore this novel. But, even if you have no idea who Hank Green is, you can love this book, too. The main reason for this universality is that it speaks to today. Hank, as a YouTube star and doer of everything, has gained a fame that is simultaneously familiar and unique. This book, therefore, is largely based on Hank's personal experience as April May battles through the best and worst of internet fame. But it's also miles out of his comfort zone in that he wrote from a specifically female perspective. Hank acknowledges the women who helped him to write April's voice accurately, and I love him for it all the more.

This novel is fast - there's no time for April to dilly-dally and reminisce about every mistake she's made. Instead, she has to deal with her faults on the go, and often under public scrutiny as she rises in fame. It is easy to read, and even the science parts is digestible (which can be difficult sometimes for a humanities gal like me). The dialogue feels truly speakable, and the action scenes are clear pictures painted into the reader's mind.

For all those reasons and so many more, I rate An Absolutely Remarkable Thing a 5/5 star novel. I hope Hank writes a dozen more books because of how much I loved this one. Find yourself a copy ASAP! If you want a head start, you can watch Hank Green read the beginning of his book on vlogbrothers.

DFTBA, and happy reading!

Book: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Author: Hank Green
Publisher: Dutton
Release Date: 25 September 2018
Genre: YA/sci-fi
Length: 338 pages, 9 hrs 25 mins in audiobook format
Setting: Not too distant future New York City

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