Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Calypso by David Sedaris

(hb; 2018: nonfiction)

Overall review

This is an excellent, hilarious, heartfelt and family- and relationship-themed collection of twenty-one essays. The humor and truths of his stories sometimes run a little dark and occasionally political, but there is always an undercurrent of warmth to the work. Calypso is a book worth owning.


A sampling of standout essays

1.)  Company Man”: Hilarious and heartfelt essay about behaving around house guests, people’s quirks and the joys of family.


2.)  Now We Are Five”: Sedaris recounts his family’s reactions to his sibling’s suicide, the youngest of six children─heartfelt and wry work.


3.)  A House Divided”: Continuing the thematic and narrative thread of “Company Man” and “Now We Are Five,” Sedaris writes about a post-Tiffany-suicide family vacation. He details his kin’s further reactions to her unexpected death, his vacation house [the Sea Section] and gratitude for  what he and his family have.


4.)  Perfect Fit” details Sedaris’s shopaholic trips with his sisters [Amy and Gretchen] and his boyfriend [Hugh] in Japan. There is an underlying and funny theme of family and other warm bonds to this, as well as other works in this collection.


5.)  Leviathan” talks about hanging out with family, and his father’s changing perspective over  the years.


6.)  Your English is So Good”:  Sedaris takes note of overused and past-their-expiration-date words and phrases for his fictional American English for Business Travelers. Hilarious, spot-on.


7.)  Calypso” is about feeding wildlife─specifically a snapping turtle─and a minor surgery, as well as what might bring those two experiences together.

Most of the essays that follow these pieces are just as excellent.

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