Hank Green’s Novel ‘An Absolutely Remarkable Thing’ Debuts

Hank Green has joined his older brother John Green in the ranks of published authors as his first book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, releases today. Green’s 12-city book slash voter registration tour (on which John will be joining him) begins today as well, with his first stop in New York City.

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing chronicles the mercurial nature of sudden internet fame, following twentysomething April May as she inadvertently makes first contact with aliens. April, a bisexual art school grad languishing in a job at a miserable app developer, makes a jokey YouTube video about a mysterious Transformers-esque statue that appears as she’s walking home one night. By the morning, identical statues have been found all over the world and April’s YouTube video has gone viral. She now has to deal with the effects of her newfound notoriety on her personal life as she unravels the aliens’ secrets.

The novel has received mostly positive reviews. Publishers Weekly asserts that though the sense of humor Vlogbrothers fans have come to expect from Green is present, the narrative style “doesn’t fully work. Kirkus, on the other hand, gave the book a starred review and says it’s full of “wit, affection, and cultural intelligence.” An Associated Press reviewer calls it “a thrilling journey that takes a hard look at the power of fame and our willingness to separate a person from the brand.” Paste Magazine claims the work establishes Hank as “one of the most humane voices of our time.”

On Goodreads, a popular book review site, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is currently rated 4.34 stars out of five.

Nearly all reviews mention the book’s cliffhanger ending, which of course indicates Green isn’t done with the literary world.

Green’s full tour schedule can be found on his website, where tickets are still available.