When You Are Engulfed in Flames

Boring, dreadful, there is nothing good I can say about this book. I find reading law school textbooks much more interesting then this author's work.

'When You are Engulfed in Flames' is one of several collections of true autobiographical stories by David Sedaris. They are funny, mostly in a whimsical versus hilarious sort of way. Some are fairly lame, almost boring. But overall the book is a very fast, breezy read that puts a smile on your face.


Bottom line: perhaps not as good or as funny as his earlier works, nonetheless 'When You are Engulfed in Flames' is a sure way to cure the blues, .. at least temporarily.

Pure Sedaris humor, thus good. Yet this collection stands head and shoulders above other titles. Finally his partner Hugh plays a role in almost all stories, so this time we not only read about Sedaris' family but he also writes on the subject of homosexuality and his love for Hugh. And then there is the best Sedaris story that I know so far: "That's amore", about this shrewd, shrewd neighbor woman.

Well, I guess I've been on a bit of a David Sedaris kick lately, as I just finished Holidays on Ice, and now When You are Engulfed In Flames. This time I listened to the audio book read by the author.

If you have never read or listened to Sedaris before, you are missing out big-time. His witty sarcasm, as he tells a variety of stories about his family, his neighbors, his attempts to quit smoking, flying on a plane and so many more were just quite funny. He is an amazing writer who is able to convey stories about life with humor. I do have to admit some of the stories in this compilation left me a bit flat. My favorite Sedaris audio collection is still: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

Okay I have had enough of David S's writing for a while, so I'm off to more serious stuff.

Now, while I have heard a number of good things about David Sedaris' books, I have never actually read one before. Despite this, I was pretty excited about reading 'When You Are Engulfed in Flames', and I was not disappointed. Sedaris' newest book is a very funny collection of essays about ordinary everyday events in his life, or at least ordinary for him. All the stories in his book feel almost intertwined, possibly because they all to build up to a realization, almost like lessons he learned over time. Whether it is his realization that country spiders don't survive well in the city, or Sedaris eventually learning what makes one of his neighbors tick, Sedaris is very good at building a story over time. He can look at a number of events at different times and places, and see how he came to a better understanding because of these seemingly unrelated events. He also tends to make the simplest things seem more fun and exciting, such as quitting smoking. Not many people would decide to temporarily move across the world just to quit smoking. I think, in the end, David Sedaris is just skilled at comedy and story-telling in general. After all, isn't comedy just making the mundane amusing?