A review by cclift1114
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

adventurous challenging funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I was really surprised at how much really enjoyed this book. I’ve been a fan of Hank Green’s work with science sometime now, but I wasn’t sure how things would translate to a fictional novel for him. I immediately was dissuaded from any worries upon beginning the book because it was very good. I liked the characters, especially the way in which we see just how flawed April is. I liked the concept of the book and the plot was interesting and kept me wanting to know what was going on with the Carls. Green does a great job with creating anticipation with his non-linear narrative. He also does a nice job of a addressing the reader as if this is an autobiography of someone addressing the general public, referencing things that most people would know about because they would have “lived” through the same historical events as April within the book. I read another book recently in which an offer address the the reader directly in such a way, but neglected to actually touch upon those historical events, which left the reader in the dark because we are not living in the same world as the characters. Green manages to fill the reader in while also respecting the idea that they would already know some of these things. Finally I appreciate the handling of so many different themes in this book. Green really addresses how humans work in a lot of different situations, from gaining fame, especially due to social media, to dealing with very new, unexpected, and even frightening events. 

Also, of course, this is a work of fiction, but I could appreciate that a lot of the science within the book would have been based in reality because we are reading a book from a scientist.