Family obs a rich seam for wit BOOK REVIEW

• Published date: 22 June 2022
• Publication title: Hastings Leader, The

Reviewed by Louise Ward, Wardini Books

A new collection from David Sedaris is always cause for celebration. His observations on life, the universe and everything are second to none. So what is he musing upon in this new work?

Family is a goldmine for this writer. The book was written during and after lockdowns in the US and UK, and David writes of his father’s decline.

In his late 90s, Lou Sedaris leaves the family house to enter a rest home.

The Sedaris kids clear out the house and it becomes apparent that Lou has become a great hoarder of stuff that he’ll get around to fixing, of clothes that he’ll never wear. There’s mildew and sadness and no room for anything.

David is remarkably candid, in his wry, humorous way, about the strange relationship all of the kids had with their father. His honesty is raw, the revelations quite shocking, as he writes to air thoughts and theories about what actually happened during their childhood, which was experienced differently by each child.

A great character in the book is David’s husband...