Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2016
160 pages
Genre: Short Stories
Publication Information
The audacious, savagely funny debut of a writer of razor-sharp wit and surprising tenderness: a collection of stories that gives us a fresh take on adolescence, death, sex; on being Jewish-ish; and on finding one's way as a young woman in the world.
A New Yorker, trying not to be jaded, accompanies a cash-strapped pot grower to a "clothing optional resort" in California. A nerdy high-schooler has her first sexual experience at Geology Camp. A college student, on the night of her father's funeral, watches a video of her bat mitzvah, hypnotized by the image of the girl she used to be ...
Frank and irreverent, Rebecca Schiff's stories offer a singular view of growing up (or not) and finding love (or not) in today's ever-uncertain landscape. In its bone-dry humor, its pithy observations, and its thrilling ability to unmask the most revealing moments of human interaction - no matter how fleeting - The Bed Moved announces a new talent to be reckoned with.
"Starred Review. Enticing ... irresistible ... [Schiff] knows how to seduce a reader as blithely as some of her characters casually bed men, writing in stylishly simple and almost staccato prose, beneath the surface of which we soon spot roiling emotions - feelings of loss, the urge to connect ..." - Kirkus
"Young women mourn, date, and equivocate in Schiff's lively debut story collection...Consistently and darkly funny, Schiff makes light of her characters' dilemmas, but never belittles their genuine distress, resulting in a fresh, varied collection that will resonate with readers." - Publishers Weekly
"Schiff's debut collection is piercing and playful, witty and wise... An observer extraordinaire, Schiff elucidates her characters' thoughts and moments, sharing them like little, unassuming gems." - Booklist
"This collection of short (and really) short stories exemplifies just how powerful economy of language can be. At once acerbic and heartbreaking, Schiff's fictional plots draw on the modern female experience - what it means to share a bed, to endure a loss, to seek a crutch, and willingly become one yourself." - Refinery29
"People will say The Bed Moved is a collection of droll stories about love and youth and those people will be correct. But that's not the thing. The thing that makes this book so special is the punch-packing depth of these meticulously crafted pieces. Rebecca Schiff is a human spotlight and I will look wherever she points from now on." - Sloane Crosley, author of The Clasp, How Did You Get This Number, and I Was Told There'd Be Cake
"...I'm in awe of the way these compact stories are so spring-loaded with humor and pathos and soul. This is my favorite book that I've read in a long time, and I expect it will be another while yet before anything even close to as good comes along again." - Adam Wilson, author of What's Important is Feeling
"Rebecca Schiff's spiky prose white-knuckles your heart while making you laugh. And that's not easy. A remarkable debut." - Patricia Volk, author of Stuffed, Shocked, and To My Dearest Friends
"The Bed Moved is a superbly written reminder of the greatest pleasure fiction has to offer: profound access to the mind of someone else who is unlike anyone else." - Teddy Wayne, author of The Love Song of Jonny Valentine
This information about The Bed Moved was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rebecca Schiff graduated from Columbia University's MFA program, where she received a Henfield Prize. Her stories have appeared in n+1, Electric Literature, The American Reader, Fence, and Guernica. She lives in Brooklyn.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
