I am a longtime David Sedaris fan, so of course I read his latest collection of essays, When You Are Engulfed in Flames. Not that he needs any recommendation from me to help sell his books.My favorite Sedaris book has always been Naked, which I consider one of the funniest books I've ever read. It still is. Nevertheless, When You Are Engulfed in Flames has the angst and self-deprecating humor a longtime fan expects, as well as plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. I am also becoming quite attached to Hugh, Sedaris' partner. What a catch.
An author's note advises that the events described in the stories are "realish," no doubt because of all the flap in recent years about invented memoirs. The book also acknowledges which stories have appeared, in some form, elsewhere. That would be all of them. So, if you're even more compulsive about the author than I am and read his pieces in The New Yorker and elsewhere, this collection may seem familiar.
Recommended for Sedaris fans. If you're not already a fan (is there such a person?), read Naked. The book.
