The Way We Get By

by Chris Drabick

Set in Flint, Michigan in the late 1990s, this is the story of Drew Nemec, a young man who has returned home despite his best efforts after experiencing heartbreak. At a local bar, Drew finds who he is through the company of others and the confidence he finds in himself.

"In an era when indie rock and the culture it spawned continually recedes from the public consciousness, it's edifying to find a novel like THE WAY WE GET BY -- an instantaneous portal to the people and the fabric of the barroom nineties, adroitly described by an author who seems to understand that world with a depth and insight his characters would always feel obligated to ignore." -- Chuck Klosterman, author of Downtown Owl

"What good is there in being the hippest, smartest, most brokenhearted guy in Flint, Michigan, circa nineteen-ninety-nowhere? Quite a bit, it turns out. In his world-wise debut, Chris Drabick weaves together a rotation of characters stuck inside a dive bar, with a keen eye for 1990s culture, from the Anchor Steam on tap to Stereolab on the jukebox to the new Dolph Lundgren movie at the video store. With a Rust-Belt voice and sneaky-smart craft, The Way We Get By will make you glad you chose this barstool." --David Giffels, author of Furnishing Eternity and The Hard Way on Purpose

366 pages, Paperback

Published March 17, 2020

About the author

Chris Drabick is a former rock music journalist whose fiction has appeared in Cease, Cows, Midwestern Gothic, After the Pause, and Great Lakes Review, and non-fiction in BULL and Stoneboat, among others. He is a graduate of the NEOMFA, the northeast Ohio consortial program. He teaches English and Creative Writing at the University of Akron in Ohio.​ The Way We Get By is his debut novel.

Reviews

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t read this fast enough.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! Many great stories unspooled in a fascinating way. I felt an immediate connection to the characters, and to the bar that brings them all together. This book engaged me from the start...….kept that momentum throughout...….and ended perfectly. Highly recommend!