Count the Gone

by Annabel Johnson, Edgar Johnson

An eighteen-year-old boy confesses to a lawyer the incidents of the past week which have culminated in an automobile accident, trouble with the law, and the label of insanity from police and his parents.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

From the age of twelve, Annabel was dedicated to a future of being an author, so that by the time she was twenty she had begun to see the happenings of her life as material for books to come. Prior to her writing career she worked in publishing houses as a librarian, as a legal secretary, and in other secretarial posts.

In 1955 she and her husband Edgar began their co-authorship by writing historical novels of the old West, traveling the country, visiting the scenes of their stories and delving into their research while living in an eight-foot camping trailer, trying to make ends meet on an author’s meager royalties. They had no home base, except a certain spot in the Mojave Desert in winter, and another site in the National Forest in Wyoming in the summer.

The Johnsons co-authored many popular works of historical and science fiction both for young adults and adults. They began their career together, however, with several novels set in the Old West, intending to bring that period to life for children far removed from the country. They spent several years traveling throughout the western United States, seeking out little known facets of western history, and compiling accounts of old-timers they met, and of their own experiences. As time passed they shifted their focus more toward the present era, in an effort to help their readers come to terms with today's world.

In 1966, with the growing success of their books, they settled in Denver, but after Edgar’s death, Annabel came home to Arizona, to continue her career in the desert setting she has always loved. She bought a lovely home in Leisure World and settled in. With each new novel she wrote her excitement never left her.

Annabell Jones Johnson passed into a new life February 9, 2013.

Reviews

[Jim Barber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in the 1960s and it reads very much like a product of its time. I couldn’t help thinking about of Holden Canfield and Catcher in the Rye as I read this book. That said, I found the main character here a bit more likable. I gave it 3 stars but glad to have made the acquaintance nonetheless. By the way, the book says it was written by a husband-wife team, not just the wife listed here on Goodreads as the author.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought-provoking coming-of-age story about a young man who is not the brightest bulb on the tree, just after he leaves high school. What are the expectations of his family and society at large? How does he get into trouble and will he be acknowledged and appreciated on his own merits?