Author Spotlight: David Sedaris

The non-fiction essay is an oft-forgotten genre, one that doesn’t have its own section in a bookstore or a list of bestsellers. It doesn't fall directly in line with the short story or the biography, instead treading a grey area between fictional writing and personal memoirs. It isn’t a genre overflowing with authors. However, my favorite that I’ve stumbled upon so far is David Sedaris. Sedaris’ darkly humorous essays encompass everything from his arduous upbringing in suburban North Carolina to his relationships with his siblings and friends. A middle-aged, insecure and selectively brilliant man (in my opinion, intelligent about some topics and immature and clueless about others), Sedaris’ stories, despite using substantial exaggeration, are all relatable in one way or another. They are written in such a way that I can picture him sitting next to me, reading aloud in his distinctively slightly whiny voice each time I begin one of his books. Although Sedaris has published nine essay collections and over three dozen stories in various literary publications, giving me such a wide pool to choose from, I’ve selected a few of my favorites from two collections.

“When You Are Engulfed in Flames” (2008) was the first collection of Sedaris’ that I read. Each essay and, as Sedaris describes, "real-ish" story deals with situations where the absolute worst outcome imaginable was the one that occurred. I particularly love this collection because it has the best examples of Sedaris’ shadowy and witty sense of humor.He takes each misfortune in stride, but never quite finds the root cause of all mistakes like a typical fictional protagonist might. His realistic thoughts and reactions resemble how many people would react in those ridiculous situations in which he finds himself. However, Sedaris puts his own spin on everything when he incorporates his massively insecure and awkward personality. My favorite essay in this collection is “Solution to Saturday’s Puzzle,” where Sedaris spends a plane ride agonizing over a small misunderstanding with his seatmate and her husband. We’ve all spent time analyzing what we could’ve said in an argument, but Sedaris takes that anxiety to the extreme when he consumes hours of the plane ride with his concerned pondering.

In his most recent collection, “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” (2013), Sedaris brings in anger behind his words, giving readers the feeling he’s not satisfied with the events that transpired. Equally sharp as his other works, this collection has a beautifully polished feel that only comes with age and experience. His words flow perfectly, telling his stories effortlessly across the pages. One essay, "Loggerheads," describes Sedaris’ experiences as he grew up as a gay child in 1960s North Carolina. His descriptions of his childhood are painfully honest as he explores how hard it was for him to force behaviors and actions that seemed to come naturally to other kids. A favorite of mine is a fictional email exchange between two sisters, entitled “Just a Quick E-Mail.” One sister, Ronda, writes to another, Robin, to complain that she was only provided a gift certificate for two large pizzas as a wedding present. However, as the story continues, we discover Ronda is actually responsible for a drunken car accident that left Robin paralyzed. To make matters worse, Robin’s husband left her for Ronda. Told in a sarcastic and naive tone, Sedaris masterfully concocts a detailed story of one sister completely unaware of the pain she has inflicted upon the other.

David Sedaris is one of the most thought-provoking authors that I’ve encountered on my literary journey. His essays are outright ridiculous, endearing and hysterical, but above all, they’re relatable. It’s fun to hear about the problems of a cynical, middle-aged man – only until you realize you're not as different from him as you'd like to believe.