What motivates people to do heroic things? In most cases, it’s the combination of the need to help others and the knowledge and capability to be able to do so. Despite our moments of selfishness, greed, and even pure evil, in general, humans will always work towards helping and protecting one another. Author Hank Green explores this concept in the follow up to his debut novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor plot summary
It’s been nearly six months since April May was presumed dead in the warehouse fire which wrapped up the events of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Despite the likelihood that she is dead, her surviving friends have difficulty moving on with so many unanswered questions surrounding her death and the Carls’ subsequent disappearance.
Andy has inherited April’s internet fame and struggles between the perks and isolation it brings. Maya refuses to believe that April is dead. So she begins to research some strange occurrences in a small New Jersey town that may lead to some answers. Miranda, meanwhile, applies to work for arch enemy Peter Petrawicki’s new company, Altus, to try to infiltrate his latest scheme.
Told from several points of view, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor furthers the story of the Carls along with the effect that their arrival has left on humanity. This continues the conversation about the pros and cons that technology has on our society. Ultimately, our heroes must choose between the simulated, addictive world that Altus provides and the physical world of authentic human connection that humanity needs to survive.
Sci-Fi for non-sci-fi readers
The aspect of sci-fi that typically steers me away from the genre is trying to acclimate to the rules and look of the science fiction world. What appeals to me about Green’s books is that the world in which it is set reflects our own. The story takes place in actual cities with familiar actual pop culture references and very realistic characters. The Carls acclimate themselves to the reader’s world rather than have the reader acclimate to an unfamiliar one.
Since we all live on the internet in one form or another, it’s also interesting to see Green’s take on internet fame. Being a famous internet personality himself, he builds his narrative around society’s current struggle to tear ourselves away from the disembodied interconnectiveness of cyber space. Instead, it reminds us to reconnect to the crucially-needed face-to-face interaction of our relationships and surroundings.
This message isn’t so much a preachy cautionary tale about the dangers of progress. Instead, it’s a reminder of how humanity’s reliance on community and physical interaction are crucial for our survival as individuals and as a species. Curiosity towards the Carls and the virtual reality simulation of The Dream that they provide is a natural reaction that gives the main characters a sense of purpose. However, even good intentions can become corrupted.
A long but fast read
At the risk of spoiling the plot, there’s a lot that I can’t say about this book without ruining the major twists and turns which make up the meat of the story. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is 452 pages long, longer than the average books that I tend to read. However, it’s a fast read, mostly due to the fast-paced, conversational style of its multiple young narrators.
The main characters are mostly in their early 20’s. So, this can’t be categorized as a YA novel. But it has the pace and style of one. These are characters who grew up in the age of the internet. So, their narration incorporates online articles, Twitter threads, and online conversations into its story. These methods may become obsolete in the future. However, Green paints a very authentic narrative style of our present-day form of online communication that helps to keep the story moving. It’s a product of its time, but it also encapsulates our current age for future readers to understand.
Graduating from supporting to main characters
Each character’s chapters are distinct. However, they are pieced together in a very fluid way that illustrates their connectedness. It’s as comprehensive a third person omniscient narrator but as personalized as first person. They are on their mission together, despite being separated for most of the events. They also develop a greater appreciation for each other, especially those who were previously only connected through April.
In their assigned chapters, the characters each own up to their mistakes, regrets, gratitude, and achievements in a reflective, journal-like tone. This adds to their relatability and increases the stakes. Their judgement of April’s mistakes in the first book soften as a result as they are forced to walk a mile in their shoes with the world’s fate on their shoulders.
The first book was about discovering a new life form and reacting to each event as it came. In Book 2, the characters are more proactive and suspicious rather than awestruck by their findings.
April’s death helped them to see the high costs that can come with blind trust and curiosity. It also put a load on the previous supporting characters to fill in as the story’s protagonists. While no one character can fill April’s large personality, each character has an interesting and significant role to play in the story.
The detective work that Maya carries out in the beginning of the book plays like a mystery novel. Miranda’s employment with Altus adds a spy novel element to the story. Andy brings the romance, addiction, and moral factors to the table.
It’s a lot to digest, but it weaves together seamlessly. Green never forgets to tie up loose ends to all of the intricate subplots. As a result, he concretely wraps up the Carls saga at the end of book 2.
My recommendation
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is an equally strong follow up that adds to the events of the book without feeling redundant or veering too far off course with this continuation of the Carls story. It has a lot to say about current events within this fictional yet grounded sci-fi world.
Technology is neither the hero nor the villain. It’s how it’s used that determines its role. It can become an addictive force that can alter our bodies, minds, and even our society. At the same time, technology greatly adds to our knowledge about the world. It’s also able to connect us with each other without physically inhabiting the same space.
The heroes of A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor learn to balance between the cyber world and the real world. In doing so, they reap the benefits of both.
What did you think of A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor? Leave your answers in the comments below!
Naturally, I suggest you read Hank Green’s first book before diving into this book. You can read my review on HubPages here.
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I read An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and have this one on my TBR. I loved the first book. It has a subtle impact that I adored. Great review!
Thanks for reading! I think you’ll be very satisfied with the sequel and how things wrap up, though I wouldn’t be surprised if a third book is ever written.
I was just suggesting these novels to someone who said they don’t really enjoy sci-fi but want to give it a try so I totally agree that they’re sci-fi for the non-sci-fi reader. In these books, the Carls have less to do with the feeling of “wouldn’t aliens be cool?” that a lot of sci-fi seems to have and more to do with using fantastical elements to explain events–or possible events–that are happening in our current world.
Well said. I think having this technology boom over the last few decades has really opened up sci-fi writers’ imaginations and made these complex ideas more tangible because we’re living them. So, it’s making the genre more accessible to those of us who wouldn’t usually gravitate to it.