Free Marcus Katz

This is a very sad book that I would only recommend to someone if they felt like they were in the right place to consume this book. It was very beautifully written and the prose really swept me away.

This was a book that really took me by the heartstrings and has found a place to stay in my heart. It was well written with an emotive storyline and well developed characters. It is a truly heartwrenching read butone that definitely should be read.

Neurodiverse hero in a flowing 'internet review' narrative, highlighting conservatorship issues.

Marcus weaves his way into the reader's heart from the start, as he weaves his story into his Yelp reviews. Now I'm a review writer myself, and would never consider adding my life story to reviews I write, but that's part of the charm of this. Marcus lives with Asperger's, so we see not only how he sees the world, but how the world tries to see him.

Marcus writes his Yelp reviews aiming for Elite status, as he also tells his Yelp audience (and us) about his life, working in a library and at an aviation museum, living in his own section of his parents' house, his quiet but fulfilling enough life with dog Sadie.

When life changes and Marcus is left money but makes a few poor decisions, his sister attempts to arrange herself into a conservator role, and to force Marcus into a care home, he ends up running away - from everything he knows, from his medication, his routines, but into who knows what.

The format worked so well, it meant we got the insight into Marcus's head we might not otherwise get, and still got to see how the world reacts to an individual with Asperger's.

This was incredibly agreeable. Warm moments, funny ones, some frustrating thoughts about the legal system. The plot reminded me of the recent Rosamude Pike film 'I Care a Lot' that covered the same topic from the point of view of a professional legal guardian. Marcus shows the flip side of the relationship and position, and his helplessness against a system he can't hope to understand (or can he?).

Plot-wise, the story does take turns you might expect, but it was a pure joy to follow along with Marcus, and I very much enjoyed the journey with him and Sadie.

I do hope this becomes a film, it would provide a lot of rather quirky roles and bring to public discussion an important topic.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

While promoted as a bunch of Yelp reviews, those just provide a framework for short chapters following Marcus Katz as he relates to the world around him and deals with the fall out from his mother's passing. Really the book could skip the reviews completely, though they do provide a bit of humor at times. And perhaps that is the point because there are some very serious issues hidden within those "reviews." Marcus is given a court appointed conservator who tries to defraud him and shuffle him off to a care home he doesn't need. While I would like to assume that this is a rarity, I've seen enough of how our system treats vulnerable people. It is very obvious to the reader that Marcus does reasonably well on his own. Sure he can use some guidance, but not to the level of needing a conservator, but the system likes absolutes. Marcus is not an absolute. But this book was an absolute joy to read with Marcus running off, his view on the world around him, and the interesting characters he meets along the way. Even with the darker topics, the book remained positive and inspiring.

Well - I don't think I will get over this book for a very long time and was devastated when I finished it - read on to find out why!

Marcus Katz is a 22 year old man with Asperger's and is the central character in the book. I absolutely fell in love with the character and adored his world and being able to get a peek into it.

The book is not for the faint of heart - it can definitely pull at the heartstrings at times - but you will be unable to put it down and will be cheering Adam to freedom as you go! Told through a series of his Yelp review posts, Adam's story is funny, tense, heart breaking and heart-warming.

I couldn't help thinking as I read, that this book needs making into a film - a Catch Me If You Can style romp across America (without the fraud) and with a main character you can't help but want the best for.

And then I came to the end. And I realised it isn't true! I was literally telling everyone I saw about this book and what was happening to Adam, my mum got daily updates on his adventure to freedom - but it was just a work of fiction and I sat looking at the book for half an hour after finishing reading it, in disbelief!

The clue was probably in the title - a novel - and the fact the author is not Adam Katz, but I clearly bypassed this information and took this man (character) into my heart. Superbly written and erven if you are not as gullible as me, you will love it I am sure. Absolutely recommend to all, you will not be able to put it down and Adam Katz will be a character I remember for a long, long while!

Even though it seems a bit forced at times, I love the premise of using Yelp reviews to create a novel. I really enjoyed this novel and learned quite a lot in the process of reading it.