The title of this collection of comic personal stories by David Sedaris had me intrigued. His name was familiar to me but I had not read any of his other books. He’s a bit snarky and crude, but he had me laughing out loud and nodding in agreement. His insights are sharp and there are a few profound and poignant moments laced with sadness. Sedaris knows how to tell a story, and the timing to make it funny, especially when relating embarrassing personal incidents about his quirky family. In an essay sort of style, he is frank and though slightly warped, describes what he sees in life without sugar coating. In a random manner he talks about a range of things and ends the collection with a rather crass but very funny poem about dogs. A couple of the stories in this book are narrated by other characters, rather than himself, which I found a bit confusing at first.
My favourites in this book were:
The Happy Place about his colonoscopy (surprisingly pleasant). Although Dave Barry wrote a better one.
A Cold Case about the aftermath of the theft of his computer and passport – covers everything from British bureaucracy to bad passport photography.
Author Author where he perfectly captures a trip to Costco and how he deals with book signings.
Dentists Without Borders about a trip to the dentist in France.
David Sedaris is also fun to listen to. In fact, some people prefer listening to his stories.
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