Review by Booklist Review
Sedaris' sardonic wit will already be familiar to listeners to National Public Radio's Morning Edition, but the venom he exposes in these pages proves he is more than a cuddly curmudgeon. Here he lets loose with a devastating comic ire worthy of Dorothy Parker. Demonstrating low tolerance for human foibles, his misanthropic humor is vindictive and nasty. More than once it crosses the line of good taste, but it's also extremely, relentlessly funny. The short stories in this collection dwell on themes of domestic hell and self-delusion as dysfunctional families tear each other apart and losers refuse to see how pathetic they are. The essays, some of which have in different form been heard on radio, effectively and humorously detail the seeming contemporary cultural conspiracy to destroy the individual. His "Santaland Diaries," which depicts his experiences working as an elf at Macy's during the winter holiday season, in particular is a minor classic. ~--Benjamin Segedin
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this collection of short writings that both celebrate and skewer various odd elements of contemporary American culture, Sedaris, who's a regular commentator for National Public Radio, fashions a mordantly comic, outspoken and often delusional narrative, suggesting a caustic mix of J. D. Salinger and John Waters. Twelve imaginative stories and four equally colorful essays ruthlessly lampoon pet social and domestic dysfunctions, most notably the demise of the nuclear family, the epidemic of victim complexes and the apparent prevalence of stunted adolescence. ``The Last You'll Hear from Me'' is Trish Moody's suicide note, which she wants read at her funeral, excoriating an unfaithful boyfriend, a disloyal friend and an unfeeling mother. ``Glen's Homophobia Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 2'' chronicles its title character's perceived harassment after trying unsuccessfully to seduce a clerk at the local convenience store. ``Don's Story'' is the acceptance speech for the third Oscar that Hollywood neophyte Don wins for an autobiographical film in which his father and mother are played by, respectively, Charles Bronson and Don Rickles. Closing the collection, the essay ``Santaland Diaries'' recounts Sedaris's seamy experiences working as an elf in Macy's SantaLand. Other pieces take aim at recovering alcoholics, ardent nonsmokers and ``people who overuse the words `rage' and `empowerment.' '' Sedaris ekes humor from the blackest of scenarios, peppering his narrative with memorable turns of phrase and repeatedly surprising with his double-edged wit. Just as the reader is convinced by some sharp gem of vituperation, it will turn back and cut its speaker as deeply as its subject. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Ironic, detached, cool, with an eye for the perverse and weird, Sedaris seems to have all the tools of your basic postmodern humorist. There's only one problem: the guy ain't funny. In a dozen stories and four ``essays,'' Sedaris swings hard (not too hard; postmodern requires that you not sweat), but he rarely connects. The one hit in the collection is saved for last. ``The Santaland Diaries,'' which originally aired on NPR's ``Morning Edition,'' is a mordant account of Sedaris's experiences as a Christmas elf at Macy's. It could be compared with Waugh-mid-level Waugh, that is.-Thomas Wiener, formerly with ``American Film'' (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
NPR storyteller Sedaris chronicles a society slightly removed from the mainstream and characters who don't quite fit in with the masses. Deadpan exaggeration gives this first collection a satirical edge. The narrator of ``Parade'' discusses his homosexual relationships with stars whose straightness has never been questioned (Bruce Springsteen, Mike Tyson, and Peter Jennings), using the same matter-of-fact tone to describe the torrid affair of Elizabeth Dole and Pat Buckley. In ``We Get Along,'' Dale lives with his mother, who is full of anger against her deceased, womanizing husband and every night spitefully calls a woman she suspects had an affair with him. Distancing himself from both parents, Dale tries not to rock the boat while keeping some secrets to himself. ``Glen's Homophobia Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 2'' is a parody of the persecuted in which any minority group could be substituted to replace the whining homosexual who bemoans his suffering at the oppressive hands of society in a style so over- the-top as to be laughable. These and nine other stories are followed by four essays. ``Diary of a Smoker'' is also an account of persecution (by nonsmokers); ``Giantess'' relates Sedaris's experiences with a magazine of erotica about enormous women. Far exceeding them in wit is ``SantaLand Diaries,'' previously read on NPR's ``Morning Edition,'' which describes his seasonal stint as a Macy's elf. Four days of rigorous training on the eighth floor barely prepared him for the crowds, the Santas, and the unending barrage of questions. Throughout the collection, without slapping the reader in the face with a political diatribe, the author skewers our ridiculous fascination with other people's tedious everyday lives. Life may be banal here, but Sedaris's take on it is vastly entertaining. (Author tour)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
