Review Detail

Francisco X. Stork has written a thought provoking book in Marcelo in the Real World. Marcelo is bright but his mind processes verbal and written communication slowly and he is a very literal processor. The Paterson School which he attends and loves has taught him to somewhat recognize sarcasm and innuendo but he was not taught to recognize bad intent in people, so to him everyone has honorable intentions. He plans to spend the summer between his junior and senior high school years at Paterson caring for the ponies used in hippotherapy for children with developmental disabilities.

His father, Arturo, has different plans for Marcelo. Arturo wants Marcelo to experience the real world and has placed him in his law firms mailroom, working for Jasmine. The deal is: if Marcelo fails in the real world for the summer, he must attend public school. If he succeeds, he can choose whether or not to return to Paterson.

On his first day on the job, Jasmine tells Marcelo straight out that she is not happy he is working for her. She wanted to hire someone else, a proven entity, not someone with a cognitive disorder, as Arturo, unknown to Marcelo, describes him.

Marcelo is also exposed to Wendell Holmes, the son of Arturos law partner, also summering unwillingly at the law firm. Wendells goal is to get Jasmine in bed and he tries to enlist Marcelos assistance. Naïve, Marcelo thinks that Wendell is his friend and his refusal will ruin their friendship. He also somewhat understands right and wrong when it comes to sex and using people. One of many conundrums Marcelo faces.

Finally, Marcelo is introduced to the business of lawsuits, settlements, private negotiations. Arturos firm is representing the manufacturer of automobile windshields that shatter on impact. The manufacturer is being sued by motorists who were injured. Marcelo sees the photo of a young girls disfigured face and discovers that she is represented by a local attorney. He is torn between helping the girl and the impact of these actions on his family and co-workers.

This is a long plot summary which covers a small portion of the story. Marcelo is a teen who thinks differently than other teens, trying to understand the world around him. Is it right for Arturo to represent a company producing a defective product? Marcelos interactions with Jasmine and Wendell describe the two opposite ends of a wide spectrum. The moral issues Marcelo faces play into his special interest in religion and his discussions with Rabbi Heschel (even though Marcelo is Catholic) are quite interesting.

Storks writing is spare, but his characters emerge brilliantly. Readers will get inside Marcelos head. They will unconsciously decide to like or dislike characters. Marcelos struggle to understand peoples intentions, to decide what is right and wrong will, hopefully, make readers think about these same topics. Hopefully Marcelo in the Real World will also make people consider whether we have, somehow, lost our way in the world, lost sight of what is good, what is important, what is beautiful. I havent said this in a while, but Marcelo in the Real World may be one of the ten best books Ive read this year.