Sell Out

by Simon Rich

A fictionalized version of the author, Simon Rich, gets confronted by his great-great grandfather, after this pickle factory worker is found in a barrel of pickle brine, a hundred years after having fallen into it in an accident. Jealousy, disgust, and annoyance from both sides follows.

This novella was first published as a four-part serialization in The New Yorker.

Genres: Humor, Short Stories

80 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 28, 2013

About the author

Simon Rich (born 1984) is an American humorist whose first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, was published by Random House in April 2007.

Rich is an alumnus of The Dalton School and a former president of The Harvard Lampoon, and the son of The New York Times editorialist Frank Rich. He received a two book contract from Random House prior to his graduation from Harvard University in 2007.

His first book, Ant Farm and Other Desperate Situations, has been described as a collection of "giddy what-if scenarios". Excerpts of the book were printed in The New Yorker's "Shouts and Murmurs" column. His second book, Free Range Chickens, was published in 2008. His first novel, Elliot Allagash was released in May of 2010, followed by What in God’s Name and most recently, The Last Girlfriend on Earth, a collection of short stories about love.

He is currently a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Reviews

[Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit is helemaal geen boek, maar als het toch op Goodreads staat, tja, dan zetten we het maar op read, hè.

De dialogen waren erg grappig en het verhaal zat ook wel goed in elkaar. Tegelijkertijd was het ook redelijk clichématig op momenten, en een beetje preachy. Priems om zo even te lezen. Het was maar een paar pagina’s.

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh man this made me laugh out loud so much

[Cary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great story. The movie adaptation was really good too. The details of the movie are different than this written story, but the spirit is the same.

[WANG Zong-Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in New Yorker. Watched the movie American Pickle first. It gives me a perspective to reflect onthe generation gap and what valuable traditions we have lost.

[Sara]

Just huge the sucses
that nt me for charti
even nt to collect a shit
even i cant play paino
or talk nicly or sew cloud
or even i cant break stone
or sell moon
i just can work hard
shot hight pickls picklees pickleees
as far from madniss jealous madniss
i will build my factory of money
and pray
standing kneling sleeping
selint or talking ant talk
just pray
to one who can cure ma soul and haert
after many illness of money
who take ma breath and rise and quick my heart
just grow my flower over ma grave
gray film to hold white nauture

[Michi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soooo funny! I laughed out loud so many times. Even better that this took place in Brooklyn, with an old school businessman being praised by hippies in Williamsburg. Maybe the ending could’ve been better but I can’t imagine how else it could have wrapped up.

[claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

super funny and unironically made me cry haha. my favorite read of the year so far tbh

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than the movie

[The Raccoon Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A HILARIOUS AND PROFOUND EXAMINATION OF ALTRUISM AND THE STREET MERCENARY ~ 8.8/10

Simon Rich suddenly meets his working-class great-grandfather, Hershel, who was preserved in a pickle-juice vat in a factory and is back to life from the 1920's. What follows is a conflict of era's: Hershel will see a woman in tights and think she's a prostitute, he is initially overjoyed that his great-great grandson is a doctor, but becomes disappointed to find out Simon's a screen doctor and even more critical that he's un-bar mitzvahed and doesn't know Hebrew.

The hilarious and clueless Hershel exposes the phoniness of the modern world. He lived in working class Williamsburg, Brooklyn that has now turned into a hip neighborhood. There are surprising similarities between hipster taste and Hershel's mercenary ways. When he starts selling pickles, he thriftily demands the jars back after the pickles are eaten to save glass, a move that the hipsters see as environmentalist, catapulting Hershel into fame. Hershel gets wealthy, buys a big Brooklyn townhouse and a gold chain with his name with a $ through the S and the story ends. It dives into themes of Jewishness, modernity v.s olden times and generational differences. And if you somehow don't like it, it's short. Highly recommended.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yo es que a estas alturas ya no puedo añadir nada más sobre Simon Rich que no haya dicho en otras reseñas, es una leyenda viva y la persona que más se ha acercado a Jardiel Poncela:

No puedes matar becarios, pero excepto eso son igual que mulas. Puedes robarles, insultarles,
abusar de ellos. No hay límites. Cuando un hombre accede a ser becario está diciendo: “Ya
no soy un ser humano con derechos, soy como perro o mono. Úsame para trabajar hasta que
mi cuerpo se rompa y después consume mis carnes”

[Aarav Balsu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a book, more of a short story. Quite funny (some tired tropes, but it's fine), and it's the basis for Seth Rogen's new film (An American Pickle). Gave me very Look Who's Back vibes. You can read this in under an hour.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tracked this down after seeing An American Pickle. It has me laughing out loud several times. I enjoyed it more than the movie.

[Sriraksha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun read, I enjoyed the humour that comes out of Herschel's blocky vernacular.