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A review by vivalibrarian
Calypso by David Sedaris
5.0
I met David Sedaris once. A friend and I drove to Arkansas, of all places, on a school night to see him perform. We stood in line and when it was my turn he said, "you look familiar-have we met?" It was my first omg, author star struck, stuttering moment and I'm not sure I said anything really even knowing he probably says this to every fifth person in line. My friend snickered at me until it was her turn and she too was speechless.
All that to say I have been a fan for a long time-I've seen him perform since, I would read articles as they were published and he was an automatic listen when his books came out then, several books ago, I quit connecting with the stories and I stopped listening (cause you always have to listen, right?). I picked this one up because it was checked in at the library and I couldn't find something that held my interest. I am so glad I did.
Calypso is the both comforting and familiar while also weaving a deeper level of introspection. Here he struggles with the suicide of his sister, his mother's alcoholism and time spent with his family at their new beach house on Emerald Isle, North Carolina. While this seems like a strange mix, it is one that only Sedaris can pull off. Grief is nostalgia wrapped in what haunts us and he pulls it off beautifully while pulling the laugh out from deep within.
All that to say I have been a fan for a long time-I've seen him perform since, I would read articles as they were published and he was an automatic listen when his books came out then, several books ago, I quit connecting with the stories and I stopped listening (cause you always have to listen, right?). I picked this one up because it was checked in at the library and I couldn't find something that held my interest. I am so glad I did.
Calypso is the both comforting and familiar while also weaving a deeper level of introspection. Here he struggles with the suicide of his sister, his mother's alcoholism and time spent with his family at their new beach house on Emerald Isle, North Carolina. While this seems like a strange mix, it is one that only Sedaris can pull off. Grief is nostalgia wrapped in what haunts us and he pulls it off beautifully while pulling the laugh out from deep within.