Haley's Reviews > An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Upon Announcement:

I CAN'T WAAAAIT!



After Reading:

So I am giving this four stars for now, even though it is possible it is a 3/3.5-star book. I really loved everything it had to say and the way in which it said it, and I thought it was a highly original and well-written story, but I was confused and unimpressed by the ending. (That being said, given the premise of the book, I would like to point out the irony of this being easily my most-liked review ever.)

What I did love about this story was its focus on fame and the way sudden celebrity—especially internet celebrity—affects a person. April May becomes more brand and spokeswoman than human for much of this book, and because she's the narrator, looking back on past events with new clarity and self-realization, her downward spiral is very clear and honestly understandable. I could totally understand why she made the decisions she did, why so many people hanging onto her every word would be heady, how she couldn't find it in her to stop. And I liked that, looking back, she knew that it should have been obvious she was being destructive and foolish, but how, in the moment, her choices fit her state of mind.



I wish we had seen more of Maya, and more of Maya, Andy, and April all together as friends, but I liked the clearly defined characteristics of each person in the story. I thought these were strong characters, with original views, personalities, and voices, and I liked the way they worked together through the problems of the Carls.

And while the message of the book was a blatant one, at times, it's perfect for the time. Not only that fame changes you, not necessarily for the better; not only how even good people can mistake fame as an opportunity to speak for your entire system of beliefs, and, along the way, lose your personhood; but how we're stronger together than apart. This book was very focused on bringing people together across the globe; April realizes time and time again that working through a problem alone never solves it. It's through endless, global collaboration that we make strides—or even a small collaboration between friends who have different ways of thinking.

But the ending. WHAT.

(view spoiler)[There's no conclusion to this book. After endless Carl puzzles and the world coming together and first contact with aliens, April dies, speaks to Carl for a couple of pages (in which he says she's special without ever saying why), and then the Carls leave and eventually April comes back to life?? Where did she go? Where did the Carls go? Is Hank saying these aliens have the power to resurrect dead people? And HOW, because humans have an entirely different makeup than Carls. Why did it take so long? Why is she back now, and where is the world going from here?

It felt like I was waiting for a full finish to this story and what it all means and how the world will cope with the disappearance of the Carls and the re-arrival of living, breathing (?) Carl. And I understand that might be too much for one book. But I at least wanted to know why April was alive, why she was chosen, and where she had been all this time.

(hide spoiler)]

I could have lived without a full conclusion for the Carls. I needed a conclusion for April.

Overall, I love the way this book is laid out. I love how modern it is, and how it's more focused on the big picture and hindsight than characters (even though I am traditionally a huge fan of character-driven stories). I love the originality. I couldn't put it down. I just wanted a few more chapters.