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The Debtor Class
Fresh from prison, young Bento stumbles into a job at a quirky collection agency, joining an unconventional crew that works out of a former warehouse where bats and pigeons roost in the rafters. Collectors scavenge among hammered victims of an economy that never seems to work for them. Debtors include patsies, cheats, liars, bewildered shopaholics, and furiously dedicated deadbeats. All bought the American dream but couldn't pay the price."Bill collectors are like priests," says a crew member. "You can tell me anything."Battered "schmoes" do just that, sharing secrets with collector-confessors who in some cases only recently exited the list of shame themselves.A blue-skinned survivalist cop dreams of acceptance as he schemes to steal drug money; a young woman with a masters in library science waves to drivers from inside a chicken costume; a world-renowned author is picked clean by an ex-girlfriend; an Air Force navigator loses control as he transports corpses of the fallen back to the States; and lovers find each other at the other end of a collection call.Meanwhile Bento struggles to elude a cell that's awaited him all along. As their paths intersects, characters' lives throb with humor, suspense, and the intensity that flows from human beings under relentless pressure.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2015
147 people want to read
About the author
Ivan G. Goldman
12 books14 followersNew York Times best-selling author. Fulbright scholar, Army vet.
Goldman's 5th novel The Debtor Class (Permanent Press, 2015) is a 'gripping ...triumphant read,' says Publishers Weekly. A future cult classic with 'howlingly funny dialogue,' says Booklist.
Isaac: A Modern Fable (Permanent Press, 2012) is "an overcoming-the-odds love story that demands to be read, with characters so real that we wish we could reach into the book and give them a hug.” -- BookList.
A Fulbright Scholar, his writing has appeared in Columbia Journalism Review, Utne Reader, The Nation, National Review, Rolling Stone, The Ring, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His previous novel The Barfighter was nominated as a 2009 Notable Book by the American Library Association.
Goldman's 5th novel The Debtor Class (Permanent Press, 2015) is a 'gripping ...triumphant read,' says Publishers Weekly. A future cult classic with 'howlingly funny dialogue,' says Booklist.
Isaac: A Modern Fable (Permanent Press, 2012) is "an overcoming-the-odds love story that demands to be read, with characters so real that we wish we could reach into the book and give them a hug.” -- BookList.
A Fulbright Scholar, his writing has appeared in Columbia Journalism Review, Utne Reader, The Nation, National Review, Rolling Stone, The Ring, The New York Times, and elsewhere. His previous novel The Barfighter was nominated as a 2009 Notable Book by the American Library Association.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 8, 2015
Bento lost it all when he went to jail. Sussman almost loses his life. Philyaw loses his temper and finds a new employee. The rich have fame and fortunes. Drug-dealers have hard-earned cash. And the cop has blue skin! But it all makes perfectly believable, imperfect sense, as author Ivan Goldman collects an unlikely group of characters together, and the Debtor Class begins. Unspooling lives weave together in unexpected ways, and the color blue can be sadness, survival, beauty or even folly, depending on your point of view.
The Debtor Class centers around the modern world’s most unlikely heroes—its debt collectors. The novelist peoples their world with fine characters, colors them deeply in shades of genuine humanity behind wholly believable bantering, and sets them loose on a rich man about to lose his fortune. But loss can be faced in many different ways, and Job’s patience combines with the Buddha’s serenity as these characters face their tragedies and learn to hold more loosely to their dreams. Perhaps that was Job’s problem in the end—that he held on too tight and needed to be freed to be redeemed.
In the Debtor Class, readers can smile, laugh, frown and weep; they might even feel blue. But hope springs eternal when humanity runs deep, and the sort of faith that friends have in each other might one day even move mountains. It’s an enthralling read, that really doesn’t want to let go when the last page is turned.
Disclosure: I was given a free preview edition and I offer my honest review.
The Debtor Class centers around the modern world’s most unlikely heroes—its debt collectors. The novelist peoples their world with fine characters, colors them deeply in shades of genuine humanity behind wholly believable bantering, and sets them loose on a rich man about to lose his fortune. But loss can be faced in many different ways, and Job’s patience combines with the Buddha’s serenity as these characters face their tragedies and learn to hold more loosely to their dreams. Perhaps that was Job’s problem in the end—that he held on too tight and needed to be freed to be redeemed.
In the Debtor Class, readers can smile, laugh, frown and weep; they might even feel blue. But hope springs eternal when humanity runs deep, and the sort of faith that friends have in each other might one day even move mountains. It’s an enthralling read, that really doesn’t want to let go when the last page is turned.
Disclosure: I was given a free preview edition and I offer my honest review.
July 15, 2015
This is a first-class noir novel about aspiration and resigned fatalism among a cross-section of carefully drawn contemporary Los Angeles types of varying backgrounds and ethics. Goldman has a sure feel for L.A.'s different subcultures and the complex interplay among ambition, survival, and occasional principle that motivate them. Revolving around a third-string debt collection operation and those who come into contact with it, his characters are constantly confronted with their own failures and inadequacies, but, even so, struggle onward out of a stubborn determination that brings them to vivid life in Goldman's telling and gives some of them an unexpected heroism that is more than occasionally inspiring. I finished the book both knowing my home city better and more sympathetic to its denizens' yearning for personal dignity in what is for everyone in Goldman's book an inhospitable, anonymous urban desert.
July 13, 2015
Fun to read. Goldmsn creates a cast of distinct, three-dimensional characters. They start with seemingly little in common, but as they come into contact with each other, their differences fit together like a puzzle, driving the story forward. It is a pleasure to watch it unfold. And it's pretty funny, too.
July 9, 2015
A witty look at the dire effects of our recent recession, why Americans take on debt, the way we treat criminal defendants, and other issues worth reading and writing about. I gave it 5 stars because of its use of language. No wasted words here. I will check into other books by this author.
July 9, 2015
I don't know why I kept reading this. It was entertaining at times? This was one of those books that made me think: "Damn, I need to write a novel. Someone actually published this?!"
July 31, 2015
I give my old friend Ivan Goldman highest marks for his courage and industry in publishing another novel, his fifth so far, in addition to two nonfiction books and much journalism. Ivan and I go back more than 20 years. Around 10 years ago he helped me try to find work when I needed it, so I feel obligated to try to help him. Perhaps directly quoting advance praise from this book's dust jacket will do: "This is a sobering and triumphant read about the recent recession's effects on average Americans, the challenges ex-convicts face in society, and the bonds people forge in unlikely circumstances." (Publishers Weekly) "In The Debtor Class, readers can smile, laugh, frown and weep; they might ever feel blue. But hope springs eternal when humanity runs deep, and the sort of faith that friends have in each other might one day even move mountains. It's an enthralling read that really doesn't want to let go when the last page is turned." (Sheila's Reviews) "This amazing book is peopled by the lowest of the low: crooked cops, embezzling assistants, jailhouse bullies, bill collectors. It's also one of the year's funniest efforts, good-natured and warmhearted, with the author displaying great verbal skills and characters drawn from a remarkably fertile imagination. Bento is an ex-con, Liz has her M.A. but earns money dancing in a chicken suit, and Philyaw owns an offbeat collection agency. Together they punish the wicked and reward the good. This is a banjo act before a darkening sky, a little bit Kurt Vonnegut, with howlingly funny dialogue. Don't let it slip by. The Debtor Class should become the cult classic it deserves to be." (Booklist)
One caveat: On my scorecard it's X-rated for language and violent sex between two repellent criminals. For some readers this may be a plus.
Fact is, I think my old pal Ivan is one of those writers whose nonfiction is superior to his or her fiction. This category includes a number of my favorites: A. J. Liebling, Joan Didion, George Orwell, Ronald K. Fried, and Jenny Diski. Since I've never finished writing a novel, rever mind publishing one, I won't presume to advice Ivan about how to proceed on his next. Instead I suggest reading Chekhov's letter to his brother Alexander dated May 10, 1886, on the principles for composing a good story. Strength to his wrist!
One caveat: On my scorecard it's X-rated for language and violent sex between two repellent criminals. For some readers this may be a plus.
Fact is, I think my old pal Ivan is one of those writers whose nonfiction is superior to his or her fiction. This category includes a number of my favorites: A. J. Liebling, Joan Didion, George Orwell, Ronald K. Fried, and Jenny Diski. Since I've never finished writing a novel, rever mind publishing one, I won't presume to advice Ivan about how to proceed on his next. Instead I suggest reading Chekhov's letter to his brother Alexander dated May 10, 1886, on the principles for composing a good story. Strength to his wrist!
June 10, 2015
I had a hard time getting into the book from the beginning. It was kind of slow going. Once I got into the book it was a bit better. With a dark side, it was quirky and entertaining. An okay read, two and a half stars.
I received this book in a Goodreads first reads giveaway. Thank you.
I received this book in a Goodreads first reads giveaway. Thank you.
July 14, 2015
Strange, quirky low-life characters aren't my favorite reads and I prefer happy endings, BUT The Debtor Class is so clever and witty, it kept me coming back for more. One of my favorite lines is "She was a blond Stradivarius in a junk pile."
April 30, 2015
this book started out slow but then got better
July 28, 2015
A funny and sardonic book. On-the-mark social commentary. And suspenseful too!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews