Only the Lunatics Come Back

Only The Lunatics Come Back is an engaging hilarious novel dealing with alcoholism, college, politics and war and the human tragic-comedy in general. Ronald Goosenbury comes from an alcoholic family and has been affected on the subconscious level. To cope, his mind develops characters as a defense mechanism against the alcoholism and abuse. These characters are brought to life throughout the novel and are as real to him as those that are in the flesh. He goes from home to college trying to avoid the Viet Nam War. He self-destructs when he gets near victory. He distrusts and dislikes authority. His life is pitted against an insane world, which is presented in an absurd way. Having no reference as to what sanity is having been raised in an alcoholic home he pursues it throughout the novel. One of the characters in his subconscious is the Ham Radio Operator who keeps tapping out SOS messages on his wireless trying to make contact with intelligence or sanity. However, only the lunatics come back.