Charles is definitely going insane. Has been since he was a kid. But with intense focus and, yes, remarkable restraint, he's managed to keep a tight grip on his loose-cannon inner psycho... until he gets laid off from his job at the newspaper. Uh-oh. Something's gonna blow. Could be a blood vessel in his brain. Could be a helicopter packed with ammonium nitrate. Good thing he meets a rowdy but warm-hearted Vietnam Vet named Stanley "Apocalypse" Nowell when he heads straight to the bar after losing his job. At least now he has a friend. Things appear to be looking up when he gets some freelance work ghostwriting a novel for a cartoonishly badass ex-military, soldier-of-fortune type; and when he awkwardly meets a nice young woman who works at the post office. But, alas, things are destined to go down in flames. Come along on this madcap, darkly comedic odyssey with a deeply troubled, self-antagonistic protagonist. A man with a bright mind and a dark soul - Charles [last name withheld to protect the innocent].