[LISTENED TO: August 2023] An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Unlike apparently everyone in the world, I had no idea who Hank Green was when I started this book. This came recommended to me by Chirp as a fun read an the plot sounded good so I gave it a try.
When I told my kids about it they knew who Hank Green was (they knew him and his brother rom Crash Course). I also didn’t know who is brother was. Well, that’s not true, I had heard of John Green but didn’t know they were brothers and I’ve not actually read anything by John. So, no expectations.
I was immediately hooked by the narrator of the audiobook, Kristen Sieh. I had no idea who she was either (evidently she’s in a ton of things as well as doing audio books). There was something about the vulnerability she gave to the main character April May, that I just couldn’t stop listening.
So the premise is fairly straightforward. Except for the way the narrative is structured. The story is told as if it were all true and the reader knows what happened already. She is telling a kind of personal version of monumental events. She even talks about the day she died. So, what?
But aside from that the story is simple. April May is an art student who is working a crap job in New York City. She is heading home later one night when she notices a giant statue in the middle of the sidewalk. She is about to pass it by, but she decides to call her friend Andy, a fellow art student and filmmaker, to come and film this thing. He does and they make a goofy video which the post to YouTube.
In the video, April talks about this robot which she calls Carl and asks Andy (as if he is a passerby, what he thinks about this.
It’s all weird and who even know where this thing came from–is it an ad for a movie or what? They put the video up and laugh about it. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 