Lifers

by Jeff Somers

Lifers is the story of three twentysomething guys who transitioned from collegiate underachieving to corporate bottom feeding and sketch out a plan to make a grab for some dignity. They will rob the publishing house that employs their only stable member and insults him on a daily basis. Being the bright, perceptive fellows that they are, they all quickly realize it isn’t about the money. For Phil "Dub" Dublen, it’s an angry statement against a dull, meaningless job. For self-styled poet Trim, it’s a chance to actually be as outrageous and anarchic as he needs to be. For Trim’s roommate Dan, it seems to be something he does for the same reason he does to vent some anger, having nothing better to do. By the time their master plan is all said and done, nothing has been solved, nothing is better, and nothing, really, has changed. And, in the slightly fractured wisdom of the larcenous trio, this surprises none of them.

Genres: Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Jeff Somers (www.jeffreysomers.com) began writing by court order as an attempt to steer his creative impulses away from engineering genetic grotesqueries. He has published nine novels, including the Avery Cates Series of noir-science fiction novels from Orbit Books (www.avery-cates.com) and the Ustari Cycle series of urban fantasy novels. His short story “Ringing the Changes” was selected for inclusion in Best American Mystery Stories 2006, his story “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through” appeared in the anthology Crimes by Moonlight edited by Charlaine Harris, and his story “Three Cups of Tea” appeared in the anthology Hanzai Japan. He also writes about books for Barnes and Noble and About.com and about the craft of writing for Writer’s Digest, which will publish his book on the craft of writing Writing Without Rules in 2018. He lives in Hoboken with his wife, The Duchess, and their cats. He considers pants to always be optional.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I first read Somers zine while working in Japan. A photocopied missive in Tower Records. A dozen or more years later, I still read it. Theres something amiable about his style and most of his self-interested articles have a crisp, dontgiveafuck attitude. This translates into his fiction, but I feel that I have read all the stories several times before.

Lifers is another go around. A drinking, smoking office drone with few friends and no drive is dragged into a caper. One friend is the asshole wit, the other the type whose well on their way to alcoholism. Stuff happens, theres a plot with the ideal woman who he cant quite work out. Things end with no pay off or resolution.

You can find this smoke stained, sozzled story repeated, with variations in the Inner Swine zine. I would grab that rather than this book. Later versions the characters get older, and deeper, and more interesting. But I'd love for Jeff to head in a new direction. I like his writing. I just want a different story.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Came to this as a result of enjoying the Avery Cates series massively (seriously, I can't overstate how much I love those books) and while this is about as far from a dystopian sci-fi action thriller as you could imagine it still shares some of the attitude of those books.

Essentially about some sort-of-friends drifting through jobs and lives they hate who hatch a crime caper mainly just to break the monotony a little, it's suitably angst-ridden and will strike a chord with anyone who's ever felt they were banging their head daily against a mundane and directionless existence. I didn't find it ended particularly satisfyingly, fizzling out with a bit of a whimper, but given the subject matter that seems perfectly fitting, and is no doubt the point. Recommend it, got Somers' next novel on pre-order because so far he's not put a foot wrong in my opinion.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short novel, at 150 pages. Not typically my type of book, I wanted to read it as I have become a big fan of the Authors future endeavors (Avery Cates series). The story was entertaining, with a quirky cast throughout, yet managed to feel a little long for my taste. Nonetheless, a good first novel for Mr. Somers.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A precise portrayal of the male, middle twenties slump.