An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) is Hank Green’s sharp, socially conscious sci-fi novel that follows April May, a young New Yorker whose life transforms overnight when she discovers a mysterious 10-foot statue that she nicknames “Carl”. After she and her friend Andy upload a video of the sculpture to YouTube, they learn identical “Carls” have appeared in cities around the world. As the video goes viral, April becomes the reluctant face of an extraterrestrial mystery — and a sudden celebrity.
While unraveling the Carls’ enigma, April also finds herself navigating the chaotic realities of internet fame: media scrutiny, polarized public perception, and the erosion of private life. Central to this is the fact that she is bi, which Green portrays as both a personal anchor and a public tension. April shares a complicated, tender relationship with Maya, a woman she deeply cares for, yet she also faces pressure to flatten her identity for mass consumption. Her team insists that being bi is “too confusing,” urging her to present as straight or gay:
“They want you to pick,” Andy said. “Straight or gay. They think it’s easier for people to understand.”
April’s refusal to comply — “I’ve loved men and I’ve loved women… I don’t see why I should have to choose”— cements the novel’s core theme: authenticity in a world demanding simplicity. Her bisexuality isn’t incidental; it fuels her emotional growth, influencing her relationships and self-worth amid the chaos of fame.
Though the plot orbits the Carls’ sci-fi mystery, the story pulses with coming-of-age realism: romantic missteps, emotional vulnerability, and angsty crushes. April and Maya’s chemistry delivers queer yearning that feels refreshing too. Green’s nuanced handling of her bi identity — informed, among other things, by consultations with bi women during writing (credited in the acknowledgements of the book) — gained deeper resonance when he publicly came out as bi years later.
Ultimately, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing defies genre, blending alien intrigue, digital-age satire, and queer identity into a whip-smart narrative. April’s voice — funny, flawed, and fiercely unapologetic — elevates the novel into a meditation on visibility and selfhood. The fact that she is bi isn’t just important in matters of representation; it’s the heartbeat of a story about choosing how to be seen in a world that prefers easy labels.