Official Review: The Professional Freelancer

[kasi33]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Professional Freelancer" by Rory Scherer.]

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The book opens with the main character, (he never gives his name), waking from a trauma induced stupor, surrounded by a pack of mobsters, that have been inflicting physical pain in order to find out information from him. The main character is trying to remember the answers to the questions they are asking him. He goes off on several tangents, through monologue, to try and recollect this information to us, the readers.

We learn that the Main Character has had several meaningless jobs in the past, each one never giving him any sort of sense of self, and each ending poorly. He tells us of an IT job that had gone array, when the company was liquidated in lieu of an embezzlement scandal, committed by the CEO. He then recounts going to meet with his girlfriend, who dumps him upon arrival, which is the cherry on top of his horrible day.

In his desperation, he goes to his Sister's house, to ask for shelter, which is not ideal, considering he despises his ostracizing Brother in Law. After getting permission to live in the basement, he leaves to meet with his friend/mentor/godfather Will, who has had unending positive support from his parents, something of which the unfortunate main character has not had, (he was adopted). Will has always been the guiding light in the character's life, and gives the character the idea of becoming a "Professional Freelancer", so that he can be his own Boss.

After the story starts to substantiate, and the character has become a caregiver for an elderly lady, the story begins to pick up. The Main Character becomes more easy to relate to, and even likable. He develops an endearing relationship with the elderly lady. An event happens at the Elderly Care facility, in which there is a Euchre Tournament, and a scandal is revealed that makes the course of the story take a 90 degree turn, and leads us to present time.

The first half of the book is very slow moving, and lacking organization. It is made up of mostly forced analogies, about 85% of the sentences are analogies. There are several run-on sentences, using repetitive language that is daunting to navigate. There is also a YouTube link embedded within the first half of the story, which seems extremely out of place, and catches the reader off-guard.

Somewhere in the middle, the language calms, and becomes much easier to read. There are less tangents, and the analogies take a backseat to the story line. The reader can enjoy the substance, and not be caught up in the extra language.

I give this story 2 out of 4 stars. The story seems to be split in two. The beginning is very erratic, and disorganized, to the point of extreme confusion, and disappointment. It is immensely difficult to delve into, and it leaves the reader feeling disconnected. The second half is the story's saving grace, but, unfortunately, may be too little too late for most readers.

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