Bream Gives Me Hiccups

Publisher's Summary

Bream Gives Me Hiccups is the whip-smart fiction debut of Academy Award-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg. Known for his iconic film roles but also for his regular pieces in the New Yorker and his two critically acclaimed plays, Eisenberg is an emerging literary voice.

Taking its title from a group of stories that begin the book, Bream Gives Me Hiccups moves from contemporary LA to the dorm rooms of an American college to ancient Pompeii, throwing the reader into a universe of social misfits, reimagined scenes from history, and ridiculous overreactions. In one piece, a tense email exchange between a young man and his girlfriend is taken over by his sister, who is obsessed with the Bosnian genocide ("The situation reminds me of a little historical blip called the Karadordevo agreement"); in another, a college freshman forced to live with a roommate is stunned when one of her ramen packets goes missing ("She didn't have one of my ramens. She had a chicken ramen"); in another piece Alexander Graham Bell has teething problems with his invention ("I've been calling Mabel all day, she doesn't pick up! Yes, of course I dialed the right number - two!").

United by Eisenberg's gift for humor and character, the witty pieces collected in Bream Gives Me Hiccups explore the various insanities of the modern world and mark the arrival of a fantastically funny, self-ironic, and original voice.

©2015 Jesse Eisenberg. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Eisenberg is truly a talented writer.... Hilarious and poignant." ( Entertainment Weekly)

the mix of narrative style and form was intriguing

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall: 4 Narration: 3 Story: 4

When I start a collection, I expect that there is some common thread tying the stories together, and while not instantly apparent in Bream Gives Me Hiccups, Eisenberg has managed to take moments of life that present an ‘instant issue’ for the character, whether it be an explanation, a relationship or even a worry.

Multiple moments experiment with different narrative styles: conversations, letters, emails, texts and even a story using reviews all present themselves with a distinct style, solidly appropriate to the ‘style’ of narration.

While I found the stories had flow, it was a collection that required attention: with narrator changes in the writing and presentation, each moment required an adjustment in the listen, and some stories required a second or third listen to absorb the impact.

Narration was from a cast of characters: Jesse Eisenberg, Hallie Eisenberg, Annapurna Sriram, Erin Darke, and Colin Nissan, and while each narrator felt appropriate for their story, the frequent changes in presenter, for me, is a bit unsettled, I prefer not to readjust expectations or concentration with each new moment.

Overall, I liked this curious little collection: the mix of narrative style and form was intriguing and unique, and while I do have favorites (My Roommate Stole my Ramen, Restaurant Reviews from a Privileged Nine Year Old, Marv Albert is my Therapist, My Mother Explains the Ballet to Me) each story brought some humor and humanity into rather awkward moments of life, those moments that bring forward emotions that are puzzling, funny or downright weird.

I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Audible Customer Relations for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

22 of 25 people found this review helpful

eclectic, odd, and still engrossing.

shows signs of the authors depth and ability. I think if Eissenberg took the time to care, he would wrote the next great American novel, however it's his lack of caring which creates the word play and pseudo playful stories like in this book. overall a good read. little gained but nothing lost at all.

13 of 15 people found this review helpful

Starts out promising

... With some genuinely insightful, laugh-out-loud comedy. But the one-note neurotic schtick gets old, and the longer pieces in particular become grating. Eisenberg is too smart to keep to this one type of character.

18 of 23 people found this review helpful

Part Brilliance, Part Droll

The performance by both Jesse Eisenberg and the rest of the cast is brilliant, hitting all the right notes in the delivery of both the heartfelt and humorous material.

There are chapters of brilliant incisive humor, and I must say it is the kind of humor that is going to miss for some while it will be spot on--especially for the millenial crowd with whom this brand of humor tends to resonate most right now.

However, there is a particularly difficult chapter to get through where a mentally unstable character exchanges letters with a mentor figure. Not only is it the longest piece in the whole work, but it is the one which drags endlessly as she expresses the most angst-y personality in the most whiny tone possible. She is unbearable. Were it a shorter piece, it might work, but it just drags and drags and effectively takes up what seemed like about a full third of the book. I would have preferred 10 more super-short chapters resembling those which came toward the end of the book in rapid-fire succession.

The book does have some meaningful insights, and the delivery is good, and if the book can be had for a Daily Deal (as I bought it) or for any price less than $4.95, I think it might be worth it, mostly for the performances. Otherwise, I'd just try to pick up a $1 paperback and skip that awful sagging midsection.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Call me crazy....

Yeah, I loved this book. It's so strange which I equate to perfection. And if I add that I related so much to the narratives, well, don't hold it against me. I just wish we knew about the hiccups.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Loved.

It was silly and ridiculous and sometimes a little sad. It made me smile and it made me laugh. It made me happy. That's really all I want when I read/listen to a book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

The book of whine

No story line. Started off funny, then just sounds like consistent whining. Tried hard but couldn't finish it.

19 of 26 people found this review helpful

amazing!!!!

Most of the stories were hilarious, a very good read. similar to B.J.Novak's book of short stories but so much better.

26 of 36 people found this review helpful

Entertainingly Original

"Something in all of us is found throughout these spoken pages. Hysterically humorous real to life satire."

11 of 15 people found this review helpful

Smart and Insightful

I'm always a little wary of books written by actors but this one does not disappoint. This collection of stories is smart, insightful, and witty. Jesse Eisenberg manages to beautifully articulate the awkward details of being a human in a confusing world. As an added bonus, Jesse (along with others) narrates and brings to life a colorful cast of characters. This book is a wonderful treat!

13 of 18 people found this review helpful