How to Get Along Without Me

**How to Get Along Without Me is a collection that summons the perversity and poignance of twentysomething dating lives from a bracingly wry and honest new literary voice.**In a world designed for couples, the protagonists of these interconnected stories have easy access to acquaintances with benefits but no paths to emotional intimacy. “Surprising, funny, and painfully true. How to Get Along Without Me is an anthropological account of dating, a catalogue of shitheads, a love letter to grandparents, and a reminder that those years of flailing in love and failing to launch are ‘taut with possibility.’” —Christine Smallwood, author of The Life of the Mind “Viciously funny and unashamedly sexy stories that plumb the loneliness of desire from first swipe to coupledom." —Danielle Lazarin, author of Back Talk “The stories in How to Get Along Without Me are wary and beautiful, savage and true. Kate Axelrod has given us a book that is both modern and timeless.” —Lindsay Hunter, author of Hot Springs Drive “The perfect stories for reanimating your soul when you’ve gone numb online but still yearn to engage with the human condition.” —Elisa Albert, Author of Human Blues “Axelrod’s prose is careful, intelligent, and contemplative...” —Publishers Weekly