Bream gives me hiccups & other stories - by Jessie Eisenberg (review)

So excited to receive my first ever ARC in the mail, which happened to be this one. Tentatively scheduled to be published in September, Jesse Eisenberg of Social Network/Zombieland fame and a bunch of other stuff, has published his first collection of short stories.

Did not even realize he wrote for McSweeney's, The New Yorker, and two plays. While I appreciate his sense of humor and acting style, can you blame me for being slightly skeptical at the quality of this book? I realize many actors publish memoirs, and many, like Amy Poehler's Yes Please and Tina Fey's Bossypants are wonderful and engaging and funny, but original stories give me pause.

Seems he's multi-talented. He can write. And it's funny. It's Dave Sedaris and maybe a little John Kennedy O'Toole thrown in.  The book is a take on modern life, from technology and family relationships and dating and more.

The first set of stories, hence the title, 'Bream Gives Me Hiccups: Restaurant Reviews from a Privileged Nine-Year-Old', was my favorite. The narrator's voice is so forthright, so true to that of what a nine year old would say. This boy goes out on various outings, everything from an Ashram to TCBY, with his divorced mother, reviewing the food as he goes along. It's so much more than that, and while hilarious and silly, they are dark and thought provoking, and a little sad. Okay, a lot sad, but maybe I related on a whole different level. Moving on.

The next section deals with Family goings-on, and the story 'My Nephew Has Some Questions' drove me back to that weird existentialism that having a young kid who asks way to many questions and maybe smoking too much pot bring you to. Fuck. Life.

It progresses, and throughout the stories are unique and Eisenberg has the ability to pick up the nuances of a recent, insecure female high school grad going to college to the nerdy sister studying  Bosnian Genocide to whatever other psychotic-ness that exists in his head quite well.

It riffs on modern life, and is heavy-handed on the intellectualism in some sections (Marxist-Socialist jokes, anyone?), but all in all a quick, good read, great for summer.

Too bad it's coming out in the fall. Oh well. Enjoy your ironic pumpkin spice latte and this book at Starbucks while you attempt to write that novel you've been meaning to get to.

Cheers!
          -Tiffany

*(note: this book was a free ARC received via Shelf Awareness.)