Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
My rating: 4/5 cats
first, some blathering. it is, after all, me…
i understand why writers like carl hiaasen and james patterson and them are now writing books for younger readers, after having already established themselves as writers of adult fiction with considerable staying power. get ’em while they are young and then when they grow into the adult section, they already have the name-recognition. friends for life, paying their electricity bills…
but why do authors like this one and suzanne collins write exclusively for the teen audience? and this opinion may be untrue in a post-potter, post-twilight world, but fewer adults are interested in teen fiction than teens are interested in adult fiction. for teens, it is something of an intellectual triumph to cross over into the growed-up section of the library or bookstore, but many adults scoff at reading books for children.
so why choose the teen path if you are an exceptional writer? is this how writers slum?
this book is just wonderful. it is about a high-functioning autistic kid who is forced by his father to spend a summer working for him in his law firm to prove that he can function in “the real world” and doesn’t need to be in his safe school surrounded by other kids who are less likely to be able to integrate successfully. during this summer, he questions loyalty and trust and sex and god and a hundred other great things, and he is such an easy character to fall in love with and be thankful that he was written into existence. just a real charmer of a book that doesn’t sacrifice realism for shock value.
this would have been a five star cat book except for two complaints, only one of which is an actual complaint.
i don’t know why the characters spoke the way they did. it seemed like this took place in a town where contractions had been banned. it made everyone sound very stiff and stylized. had it only been marcelo, it would have made perfect sense, because of his rigid formality across the board, but the rest of the cast had no such excuse. ””””’ those are free.
secondly, chinchillas look nothing like “long, skinny rats”
who you calling skinny?
but i loved this book. it is sweet and very naturally written; a real gem of a teen fiction book that i would never have read except for this class.
thanks, grad school!
oh, and another thing! i have felt mildly guilty reviewing these teen books because i have a tendency to curse like a racehorse, and i felt that that might not always be appropriate for the poor innocent teens who might be reading the reviews, and greg has even gotten internet-scolded before for the same thing. HOWEVER, if teen fiction itself is going to drop the f-bombs, then why should i be any different?? thank you francisco x. stork. i mean, fuck.
