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A review of Naked

by David Sedaris

Sharp, hilarious essays from the modern Mark Twain

Reviewed by: G-Lock
About G-Lock

Naked By now, it's cliche to say that David Sedaris' books make readers laugh out loud. I hate cliches and avoid them whenever possible. In this case, unfortunately, I can't help but throw up my hands and begrudgingly say: you will laugh out loud when reading NAKED.

Following BARREL FEVER and preceding 2001's ballyhooed ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY, NAKED is easily the best of Sedaris' comical genius ouevre. It's a collection of deeply funny essays detailing the author's colorful life. To say the stories also have heart is not to dilute the sheer fun of them. Sedaris' droll worldplay and frank observation expose the raw comedy anyone can recognize in even the most monotonous situation ("I spent my year buckling down and improving my grades in the hope that I might transfer somewhere, anywhere, else. I eventually chose Kent State because people had been killed there. At least they hadn't died of boredom, that was saying something. 'Kent State!' everyone said. 'Do you think you'll be safe up there?').

"Get Your Ya-Ya's Out!", but one of many gems, centers on the author's foul-mouthed Greek grandmother and the havoc she wreaks on the family in her final days. Sedaris' mother says of her elder's filthy habits, "'That might play back on Mount Olympus ... But in my house we don't wash our stockings in the toilet.'" We're not exactly dealing with the Brady Bunch here. Her stay at a nursing home got so depressing, Sedaris tells us, " ... rather than endure the death rattle of her roommate, my father often brought Ya Ya to the house, where she sat in the carport, staring off into space until it got dark enough to catch a few moths."

The centerpiece title essay has Sedaris, yep, naked ... during a semi-successful stay at a nudist colony ("It took a few drinks before, drawing the curtains of my double-wide, I was able to remove my shirt and shoes."). In this story, as with the others, Sedaris draws you into his misadventures and his slightly askew perspective. And rest assured you'll never look at broiled shrimp or wasps' nests the same.

Reprinting snippets of this book does it no justice; it's too delicious to break into further sound bites. Suffice it to say everything is fair game and there are, mercifully, no sacred cows in Sedaris' world.

True story: One afternoon on the subway, I noticed a well-dressed businesswoman, sitting alone, giggling and shaking her head. Every so often, she'd break out a hearty laugh and cover her mouth as if in embarrassment. Strangers looked at her and at each other, rolling their eyes at this "lunatic." I myself might have nervously moved away from this lady and written her off had I not noticed what was curled in her lap. Upon closer inspection, it was the unmistakable cover of NAKED. Caveat emptor.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Naked

Copyright © by G-Lock, 2002

Reviewed by G-Lock :
-- The Corrections - by Jonathan Franzen
-- Naked - by David Sedaris
-- The Epic of New York City - by Edward Robb Ellis
-- The Catcher in the Rye - by J.D. Salinger
-- The Great Gatsby - by F. Scott Fitzgerald









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