When You Are Engulfed In Flames: David Sedaris
So…I’m supposed to stick to the classics. But I’m figuring out you really have to be in the mood and you cannot, under any circumstances, visit a book store, Goodreads.com, or a Library. There are just too many awesome books out there. So…I’m giving myself leniency. I’ve put aside Oliver Twist for a little while and am following my curiosity wherever it may lead.
I finished When You Are Engulfed In Flames by Sedaris a few days ago. I was super excited to finally get my hands on one of his books. I’ve heard him read on NPR and seen interviews. He seemed quirky enough to me, so I read the book in about 2 days.
I was kind of let down. Is he a good writer? Yes…absolutely. Is he pretty funny? Yep. But I was expecting something beneath the surface. When you read Vonnegut or even Bill Bryson, there is a purpose for the comedy and humor. Truth is weaved in between the lines. You find yourself laughing and then a split second later saying, “Hey…wait a minute.” This is especially true with Vonnegut.
But Sedaris is…well…pretty darn shallow. His attempts at creativity do not work (like his chapter on graduating from Princeton). After finishing the book it makes sense. Though he has lived a pretty crazy life (hitch-hiking around, doing drugs, being solicited by truck drivers, drugs…etc), in retrospect it is a very self serving and empty life. Unintentionally he causes the reader to pause and take pity on him. I found myself saying over and over again, “Yes, but what did you learn because of this. How did you change your life. What in the world are you doing with your life besides shopping, traveling, and complaining.”
Though he is very talented, and has a very individual voice in his essays, this book was a simple mind diversion. You walk away not having learned anything and you’ve lost a few hours you can’t get back. This is very similar to feeling he must feel as he lies in bed at night. “What in the world have I done with my life. This is pointless.”
So if you want an entertaining read and don’t mind the occasional reference to his sexuality, racial slur, and F-bomb…then this might be a good book for you. But again, don’t but it. This is not one you’ll display prominently on your book shelf.
In my opinion your better off picking something else. But not many agree with me…so there you go.
(Book Count: 4 / 9 days)
