A friend recently asked me my opinion on David Sedaris. Now, I love offering opinions, and I was in an awkward position to offer an opinion on something I had no opinion about, having not read anything by him, so I set about rectifying the situation.
Sedaris’ book is a collection of essays in two parts. Part one deals with his life in America, with his childhood and family in North Carolina and his years doing odd jobs in New York. Part two is about his years in France, getting used to the French language and milieu and trying not to stick out as a sore thumb.
Sedaris’ writing is sharp and his observations relatable. It’s like reading a standup comic’s show, and sometimes I suspect a lot of standup comics may have been ‘inspired’ by Sedaris’ work. I found the part on France funnier, probably because Sedaris is like a fish out of water amidst the French language and habits. Sedaris draws upon everyday occurrences and common tropes, but his descriptive ability and imaginative visualizations add a different dimension to the instances he describes. It’s a nice breezy read,
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