rob roberge

"Rob Roberge is a modern master of the down-and-out-that-just-got-worse. His stories are dark and thrilling. They take hold of the reader like some bad, bracing dope and don't let go until you feel the full measure of your own humanity. Prose this carefully wrought and true puts him in the tradition of Bukowski, Hammett, and Denis Johnson."  Steve Almond, author of My Life in Heavy Metal, Candyfreak, The Evil BB Chow and Not that You Asked: Essays. 

 

“These stories make me want to climb right up inside of Rob Roberge’s head and ride around looking out at his weird, dark world.  His broken people are riveting and strange but deeply familiar. Beautiful and funny and heartbreaking in one breath -- everyone should read this book.”  Katie Arnoldi, author of Chemical Pink and The Wentworths

 

“Having moved to the East Coast 15 years ago, I don't spend nearly as much time in Southern California anymore.  But the words of Rob Roberge bring it all back to life for me-the sounds, the sights, the smells and the tastes.  And it's not always a pretty ride.  I like that Rob never takes the easy way out.  Real bad things happen to real likeable people and while I would never wish that on anyone I know it sure makes for a good read."  Steve Wynn, of The Dream Syndicate, Gutterball, and Steve Wynn & the Miracle Three. 

 

"WORKING BACKWARDS FROM THE WORST MOMENT OF MY LIFE confirms what everyone should already know: Rob Roberge is one the finest short story writers working today. His vision of life is something like Denis Johnson’s, with Neil Young and Crazyhorse as the soundtrack, provided both dipped their toes into the surreal every now and then just to get some relief from the pressures of the world. A nuanced, violent and, ultimately, deeply felt collection of stories."  TOD GOLDBERG, author of Living Dead Girl and Simplify.

 

 

 

PRAISE FOR MORE THAN THEY COULD CHEW

“Roberge stages even the most brutal scenes for nervous laughs, and he has a knack for impeccably grotty details of the demimonde: one of Nick's companions is a disbarred lawyer known as Maggot Arm Joe, thanks to his unorthodox treatment for an IV-drug abscess. Best of all is Nick's studiously masochistic girl friend, Tara, who believes that ''you can get through life with just two lines: ‘I don't know and You're talking to the wrong guy/gal.'” –from the New York Times (Sunday Review Section)

 

Extremely fast moving and often funny and sad at the same time, this book is so plausible that it feels like something I saw on the news not read in a book. 

 

-- Crime Spree Magazine

Roberge's book is not easy to shake off, that's for sure. The grime of these lives still remains in our minds long after the last page has been read.

 

-- VALLEY SCENE Magazine

Holy God! Strap in and get ready for a mind flush. Roberge gives us the rotting tail of the counterculture in postmodern apocalypse. Kesey and Burroughs meet Leonard Palahniuk -- and get stomped. I need a fix. More, now!

-- Tim Dorsey

Gritty, funky, addictive, and written with eloquent ruthlessness, as all the good ones are.

-- Kinky Friedman

"More Than They Could Chew is sick and funny and impossible to put down. Roberge marches us into his grimy world of tragic losers and he keeps us there, eyes wide open, with his perverse humor and twisted wit. Once these people get a hold of you, there's no turning back."

-- Katie Arnoldi, author of Chemical Pink

"There are only a few great practitioners of noir working today -- Scott Phillips, Daniel Woodrell, Victor Gischler -- but you can add Rob Roberge to their ranks. More Than They Could Chew is as bitterly violent and bitterly funny as they come and Roberge is a breath of dirty fresh air."

-- Tod Goldberg, author of Fake, Liar, Cheat & Living Dead Girl.

"Call it kink-noir. Call it beer-soaked black humor. Call it whatever you want. But buy this book."

-- Rachel Resnick, author of Go West,
Young F*cked up Chick

From the Back Cover of DRIVE:

"A seriously talented writer, Roberge is an explorer of the everyday. Chicken franchises. Florida. The micro-politics of sex. That's where this book lives. So do I. So do you. My advice--spend the money, buy the book, take the ride." --Francois Camoin, Winner of the Flannery O'Connor Award

"I picked up Drive and I didn't put it down. The people in this book are sharp and damaged and they won't let you go even when you've finished reading." --Katie Arnoldi, author of Chemical Pink

"What we need are more stories that back us into corners. We need books that show teeth, and Roberge has given us one in Drive." --Darrell Spencer, Winner of the Drue Heinz Award

"Drive lets you know that the world isn't always as simple as winning and losing, it's sometimes just enough to survive. Drive cements Rob Roberge's place as the voice of the underbelly." --Tod Goldberg, author of Living Dead Girl and Fake Liar Cheat