Books I've read: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

 

I wasn't really sure what to expect with this book, but I found myself really enjoying it for the most part.  Given it was published in 2018, it felt quite eerily prescient given the current climate and especially with  protestors currently occupying parliament in my hometown, all with different agendas and ideas borne out of mis-information spread via social media.

 The book opens with 20-something April May coming across an inexplicable giant robot on a New York street.  Initially she walks past it, noting that it's impressive, but writing it off as just another of those wonderful things about New York.  But on second thought, it's too impressive to dismiss so she calls her friend Andy and they make a video with it.

The next morning, April discovers her video has gone viral.  These sculptures, which April jokingly called Carl, have appeared in every major city in the world.  No one knows why the Carls are there, what they want, and who made them.  As the first person to document their arrival, April finds herself in an intense media spotlight.

Rather than downplaying her role in this discovery, April embraces the opportunity to make a mark on the world and throws herself into creating a persona suitable for this level of fame.  As the story becomes weirder and weirder, and the Carls seem to have selected her as their ambassador, April is forced to deal with the fallout being in the public eye has on her friendships, relationships and personal identity.

I loved how bonkers this book actually is.  The idea of the Carls, the puzzles April has to solve and the growing politics around whether these odd metal sculptures are benign or evil made for an exciting journey. The increasing division between groups of people who believe the Carls are good and those who believe they are evil felt very real, especially with the two sides playing out their differences on social media.  It felt very much like a parallel to the current vaccine debate, but given this was published pre-COVID, was probably based on the increasing division between Democrats and Republicans during Trump's term in office.

April is not always a nice person, but she admits this throughout the narrative.  It's easy to see how a young person, struggling to figure out her place in the world, might be seduced by the insta-fame these platforms offer and the sense of importance that can come from internet celebrity.  

So, while this book is certainly not perfect, it was a fun read and the ending left it open for a sequel so I expect we will see more from the Carls in the future.  And I'll probably read the next one too.

But don't just listen to me.  Here's the blurb.

Roaming through New York City at three AM, twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship—like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor—April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world—from Beijing to Buenos Aires—and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.