Wesley Straton writes: “I have thought a lot, over my decade-plus of drinking and working in bars, about what makes any one establishment stand out over another. It always, in the end, comes down to the bartender. The bartender defines your experience, as a guest: they shepherd you through your night, they feed and water you, they look out for your comfort, your safety, and your joy. If you’re very lucky, you get to know them a little bit too. The novels below understand this, and have created compelling, magnetic bar personalities.”