Book Review

The Tender Bar

By JR Moehringer

Remember that book you’ve always thought you had inside you? You know the one I mean; a cross between Animal House and The Most Unforgettable Character I’ve Met. The one that’s populated by the loons, goons, and weirdos that have crossed your path and defined your character. The one that actually explains how you became who and what you are. Well, you can forget about it; JR Moehringer has beaten you to it.

This excellent memoir—in spite of the rather silly wordplay in the title—takes us along for the ride as a mostly fatherless boy travels the path to manhood with the help of the denizens of a bar called Publicans. Among the surrogate fathers are engaging characters like Bob the Cop, Smelly, and fuckembabe. And Uncle Charlie, the ringleader of this merry band.

Pulitzer-winner Moehringer has crafted his characters with loving care, putting one in mind of Jimmy Breslin’s The Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight. The reader can’t resist the invitation to get into the author’s head and watch while he learns to live, love, drink, dream, and deal with his fears and failures. The crazy path that takes him from his grandparents’ decrepit home in Manhasset to Arizona to Harvard to Lord & Taylor to the New York Times always leads back to Publicans and—fortunately for us—always leads back to writing.

Pour yourself another drink; it’s a comfortable place to spend some time.