Book Reviews

Themes and Variations by David Sedaris

Themes and Variations by David Sedaris--B0854JB35Q
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3563616458

David Sedaris is one of America 's pre-eminent humor writers and the editor of an anthology of stories, , Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules: An Anthology of Outstanding Stories. His essays appear regularly in Esquire and The New Yorker. Sedaris and his sister, Amy Sedaris, have collaborated under the name “The Talent Family” and have written several plays which have been produced at La Mama, Lincoln Center , and The Drama Department in New York City.
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At first, I didn’t know what the author was getting at with what I was reading, which felt like a compilation of jokes some of which evaded me. Yet the voice was sharp, cynical, and sarcastic, and I kept on reading. It was a short one, anyway, I thought.

Then, I realized that these jokes were told by his audience during the book signings and he was reporting them to us. Some jokes were outlandish, titillating, and exaggerated such as women taking their bras off in odd places like taxis and busses, and men grossly shoving things in their behind. Others were about giving away free money to the most impoverished, but finding people who needed that bit of money became the saga of the author’s dilemma.

The writing is not only about jokes but insights, secrets, and soft-hearted giving, too. I am not sure the stories are that funny, but they have a cutting edge somewhere seasoned with a cartoonish sneering, mockery, and satire. Still, when one reads it, one knows it is real life and not too-tall-a-tale version of any book-signing.

Then, the author tells why he has written this toward the end. At another author’s book signing, as a young reader, David Sedaris was not paid any attention. So he made the vow of connecting much better with his readers. Learning from mistakes even those of others shows the perception and empathy of this author, and that should be applauded by all readers.