(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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