Day Counters

by Charles Bennet

After a decade in prison over a Myspace misunderstanding, Ernie Dirks has made parole. He’s biding his time in a Vermont halfway house, dozing through mandated A.A. meetings, dreaming of becoming a rapper. But standing in his way is his sponsor, Vanessa, a teen twelve-step prodigy who sells her underwear to strangers and claims her entire family is dead.

257 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 5, 2021

Reviews

[Kim Ritchey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was nearly unreadable in the opening pages, and I was very concerned about how I could possibly complete it. However, oddly enough, my interest in the characters and what might happen to them increased enough to keep me coming back. By the end, there were moments of quality writing and the rare meaningful passage relating to life's tribulations and the culture of recovery. What happened? Did the same author compose all sections of the book? I don't want to speak too highly of it, and while most of the characters and storylines were mere caricatures, the writer did manage to string together a somewhat compelling yarn by the end of story. A strength was the female protagonist who, while not very realistic as an actual person, maintained forward momentum throughout the narrative while managing the bumbling incompetence of those around her. She was well portrayed as a ruthless and effective female heroine. The story is marketed as humorous, but I was only amused by one line in the entire book. While it is packed with people and situations that seem comical, they were not effectively used to elicit amusement. Hasidic gang bangers, a drink addled boarding school matron, an aged wannabe's blundering attempts to rap, farcical AA meetings and criminal enterprise; sounds funny, but nope. While very flawed, it was narrative driven and I did want to find out what happened to these characters. The protagonists careened from one ridiculous episode to the next, but I was interested in spite of myself. Also, a few of the characters had backstories that were quite well written and added significantly to reader interest. It was just wacky enough to be pleasantly unpredictable. Definitely not as interesting as the average book that I would choose to read, and I would not recommend this book to anyone except perhaps my friends who are members of AA, just for kicks. Glad I was able to finish it with a modicum of interest!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. On the one hand, it was very original, dealing with some real low-life characters and some less-than-attractive conditions in this great land of ours. The first comparison that came to mind was _Confederacy of Dunces_ and later some of it reminded me of Elmore Leonard. You're not going to laugh out loud but it kind of shocks you into amusement at times. It's very dark humor, maybe not for everyone. The author's use of slang and "informal" grammar is often quite funny and set off by other times when the same characters offer sophisticated insights into the human condition. I didn't think I would like it at first, but I did get engaged and want to see how it would all play out. There were parts that dragged, that I skimmed over to get to the pay off. But that shows that I wanted to see how it played out.

It's a pretty decent read (especially for a self-published book that didn't have the benefit of an editor). I am interested to see what the author does next -- as I said above, I could see him turning into a kind of Elmore Leonard of the 2020s.

[Thomas Trang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked it up, put it down, picked it up again…a real quirky read with some ultra scuzzy characters. Similar to Elmore Leonard in its meandering form but with Hiaasen goofiness in parts, but also with a tougher life on the margins vibe. I’d give it 3.5 stars but rounded it up because the author clearly has great taste in music.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a dark and funny read. I am struggling on how to describe the characters and plot, it’s just wild. Can’t wait to read more from this new author.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been many years since I read Angels, but this recent work seems to have been written as Angels for this decade. For some reason, I kept picturing Vanessa as the daughter in Vice Principals.