Tolog Review: Bream Gives Me Hiccups

Bream Gives Me Hiccups
by Jesse Eisenberg 
reviewed by Jocelle Lauron

Bream Gives Me Hiccups by Jesse Eisenberg is a compilation of satiric short stories that uses comedy to shine a light on current problems we have today. The first section, named “Bream Gives Me Hiccups” is narrated by a nine-year-old boy living in New York with his mother, focuses on verbal child abuse, neglect, and love. He turns to critiquing the restaurants he is forced to eat as a coping mechanism, and learns about his mother through it. In early reviews, he speaks of his mother being toxic and cruel, stating, “Mom elbowed me in the neck, which is what she does when I say things too loud or too quiet or if I laugh”. (7) Later, he learns of the pain his mother has gone through and sees that “Mom took me around because she needed me. Because going through a hard life with someone else is better than going through an easy life alone.” (59) The second section, “Family” follows families and their differing dynamics. The stories under this collection contain dialogue between siblings and conversations around the dinner table. In the third section, “History”, the narrator takes a playful approach to explaining important events such as the burning of Pompeii and the invention of phone calls. In the fourth section, “My Room-Mate Stole My Ramen: Letters from a Frustrated Freshman” features letters from Harper Jablowski, a college freshman with depression, to Miss Rita, her former counselor. Harper, after a couple months at college contracts depression, feeling lonely and useless, decides to get back in touch with Miss Rita. Miss Rita helps her with her sickness and her prejudice against her roommate Slotnick. In the fifth section, “Dating” Eisenberg showcases the lack of respect towards women when it comes to dating, with men not taking a ‘no’ for an answer and much more. In the sixth chapter, “Sports” multiple characters struggle to fit in, attempting to gain popularity by embellishing stories and pushing themselves to be more athletic. In the seventh section, “Self-Help” the reader is pulled into the stream of consciousness of those with mental disorders, from bipolar disorder to obsessive compulsive disorder. In the last section, “Language” emphasizes the possibilities of interaction if we were all linguistically gifted.


This book was captivating to read and with its fresh takes on common issues, I could not stop reading. Throughout the novel, Jesse Eisenberg uses multiple points of view, depending on the story. This allows the reader to gain their own opinion on the situation because of the ability to see the validity of another character’s thoughts. The book’s layout was interesting, too. It was divided into eight sections. Their titles such as “Family” or “Self-Help” served as a guide for what was to come in the stories included. I felt that this collection of stories was hilarious yet serious at the same time. I thought this made the book very relatable because life is not one mood or tone throughout, but a complex medley of emotions.