I just received a bonsai as a gift and want to know what it is and how I should care for it? more importantly, is it dead? The leaves seem very dry, brittle and curled. There are a few berries on it, but they are very dried out as well. My wife said the lady at the store said "water once a week"

But it looks dead to me

Looks pretty dead.

It is a dead cotoneaster. Did the lady in the store also tell you it should be outside?

How often you watered it? Where it was placed?