The Cost of Living

To the shock of lovers and rivals, indie guitarist Bud Barrett is finally—if tenuously—married, clean, and sober. Now he faces the challenge of staying that way. To avoid repeating the past, Bud needs to confront the ghosts that dwell there. After decades of seeking redemption in the arms of “pervy Florence Nightingales,” Bud finds himself still haunted by his mother’s abandonment, his own array of crimes, and a murder he witnessed as a child. As he revisits his life of grief and reckless excess, all paths lead to his long estranged father, a man with his own turbulent history and the only one who can connect Bud’s fragments, unlocking the answers that just might save him.

Praise from writers:

Roberge’s writing is both drop-dead gorgeous and mindbendingly smart. The Cost of Living is an intimate, original, important novel that I’ll be recommending for years to come.
—Cheryl Strayed, bestselling author of Wild (Oprah’s Book Club selection)

Roberge has birthed a gritty, honest, sweaty, rock ’n’ roller about addiction and the elusive road to redemption. The Cost of Living will make you laugh, cringe, recognize, and keep you turning pages long after midnight.
—Jonathan Evison, bestselling author of West of Here

Praise from musicians:

The Cost of Living is high--not so much in cash but in damage to the soul. Roberge’s new effort is a journey into the depths of the human condition that we rarely get glimpses of. Few contemporary authors have the experience
to tell these tales with any authenticity. Ultimately and painfully, this is a tale of redemption. A must read for all who profess a love for their fellow man at his most unloveable. Roberge joins the short list of brutal truth-tellers of
our day. Crafty, heartbreaking, and even fun if you think taking a stoned-out bath in the middle of a drug robbery is funny. I do. This book is going to make one hell of a movie. —Wayne Kramer

This is a guy who clearly knows his way around a tour bus. And around a massive drug habit. A dark, funny, frightening, and above all authentic book about the toll the rock and roll lifestyle can take.
—Scott Shriner, bass player for Weezer


Rob Roberge is the author of the novels Drive and More Than They Could Chew and the short story collection Working Backwards from the Worst Moment of My Life. He's the guitarist for the seminal punk band The Urinals.