A review of Naked
by David Sedaris
Sharp, hilarious essays from the modern Mark Twain
Reviewed by: G-Lock
About G-Lock
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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