How An Absolutely Remarkable Thing Managed to Restore my Faith in Humanity

By Amanda Pate

Minor spoilers; nothing particularly earth-shattering, though.

When one pictures a work of science fiction, there are two things that most commonly come to mind: the planet-hopping, laser-guns-and-spaceships worlds of Star Wars and the like, and twisted dystopias exemplifying the most vile ideas of a perfect world. This, of course, implies two things: One, the world would be much cooler if laser guns were a thing. Two, any future for us on this planet will inevitably lead to us watching children hunt each other for sport or participating in some other horrible practice that all but deprives us of our humanity. In other words, we’re pretty much doomed. This is a rather bleak outlook on life, and one that I like to say I don’t believe is true, even if the state of the world may make me inclined to. But, what else am I supposed to think? If every tall tale of the future that revolves around us, here, on this planet somehow ends with corrupt world-dictatorship or a horrific population-control procedure, what does that mean for us? Every time I’ve read a dystopian novel, there’s been a little voice in the back of my brain telling me that maybe we’re not as far off from this nightmarish reality as we should be. However, Hank Green’s 2018 novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, managed to do the exact opposite. It follows the story of a young woman, April May, as she is thrust into the world of fame after making a video of a mysterious transformer-like sculpture. As it turns out, sixty-three more of these same statues (dubbed “Carls”) have appeared all over the world–seemingly out of nowhere–and may be part of something bigger than a mere art installation. As more details surrounding the statues reveal themselves, April and her friends navigate solving a potentially-extraterrestrial global mystery while maintaining a good look for the spotlight–and trying not to lose themselves along the way. The book is filled with plenty of twists, turns, humor, and profound commentary on the state of our world. Green’s novel, despite being a far-fetched work of science fiction, manages to paint a picture of the world that is realistic, thought-provoking, and, most importantly, human. April May’s life is by no means a perfect one, as she is introduced to the ugly side of fame and fortune, and has her relationships tested because of it. Political conflicts still ravage the globe, with April and the Carls at the center of it all. To say the story ends in a neat and uplifting way would be a massive lie. And yet, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing still manages to convey an underlying message of hope, not in spite of its realism, but because of it. Instead of putting on rose-colored glasses and painting an imaginary world where everyone on Earth is a saint, Green manages to bring the Carls into our world, however imperfect it may be. The arrival of otherworldly statues to Earth overnight may not be a particularly plausible idea, but humanity’s responses are genuine, and no matter how flawed the actions of a few hateful people are, there still remains a little bit of good in the world–strong enough to change it for the better. “Humanity, what do you think of us?” “Beautiful.” (Green 327) --- Works Cited Green, Hank. An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. New York City, Dutton, 2018.