An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a first novel; it’s a good first novel, but it’s a first novel. I enjoyed the plot – a 23-year-old woman, fresh out of college, is the first person to document a series of sculptures, which she calls Carls, that turn out to have alien origin that suddenly turn up around the world. She decides she likes the attention, and positions herself and her co-you-tuber to be professional pundits about the sculptures.
The characters all have a tendency to sound the same – their voices aren’t fully developed, I don’t think. And there are a couple of small things that don’t get resolved in this book – there’s a sequel, which I might read just for completion’s sake. I’m choosing to believe that they’re clues for the next book instead of plot holes, anyway.
It does have this great bit of Bay-Area-specific commentary: “Oakland Carl was the only Carl in the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Franciscans were, frankly, offended.” Honestly? Spot on.
An Absolutely Remarkable Thing was a fun read that I doubt I’ll remember in a year. And that’s ok.