I got this hardcover in a Yankee Swap at my book-group at the Book Cellar, and was delighted to have another release copy.

This is another fine Sedaris collection, similar in content and tone to Me Talk Pretty One Day - most of the essays are about Sedaris' family, some of them concerning childhood incidents and others very up-to-date. A few of my favorite bits: "The Ship-Shape" (which I heard him read at Boston's Symphony Hall some years back, when he was still working out the kinks) is a classically bittersweet story of his family's summers at the beach, and the brief, glorious period when they thought his father was going to come through on his promise to buy a beach house. As with all classic Sedaris bits this one ranges from laugh-out-loud funny to near-tears.

"The End of the Affair" begins with Sedaris and his partner Hugh going to see the film of the same name:

"I had trouble keeping my eyes open because I was tired and not completely engaged. Hugh had trouble keeping his eyes open because they were essentially swollen shut: he sobbed from beginning to end, and by the time we left the theater, he was completely dehydrated. I asked if he always cried during comedies, and he accused me of being grossly insensitive, a charge I'm trying to plea-bargain down to simply obnoxious."

The rest of the essay deals with various aspects of their relationship - more than I've heard Sedaris say in any one previous piece - and presents some truths that anyone who's ever been in love will recognize...

"Repeat After Me" is both wildly funny and heart-wrenching. Clearly Sedaris' relationship with his family is a bit of a trial to them: "I might reinvent myself to strangers, but to this day, as far as my family is concerned, I'm still the one most likely to set your house on fire."

In the "outrageous" department, there's the charming "Possession"; Sedaris and Hugh are apartment-hunting for a new place in Paris, and having gotten into apartment-hunting mode, Sedaris finds it difficult to stop - even when visiting such difficult-to-place apartments as that formerly occupied by Anne Frank!

The last story in the collection is "Nuit of the Living Dead," and had me laughing almost to tear-point - partially in recognition. Here's Sedaris, home alone in his remote French farmhouse, trying to dispatch a mouse that had been not-quite-killed in a trap, when some lost travelers stop by for directions. Their growing realization that this strange little man is not only apparently drowning mice for fun but is assembling a model of the human anatomy and has decorated his house with skulls and with pens shaped like human fingers... well, they seem unsettled. I wonder what strangers would make of my skull-and-gargoyle collection if they came upon it at three in the morning?

Another great entry here is "Six to Eight Black Men," Sedaris' investigation into Christmas customs in other countries. It's hilarious! I also recommend the audio version, taped from a live performance, which is even funnier - it left me in pain from laughing so hard...

[There's a brief TV Tropes page on Sedaris.]

I left this book on a window ledge in the entrance of Martha's Exchange; hope the finder enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2017 What's in a Name release challenge, for the embedded "Roy" in the title. ***

*** Released for the 2017 D for December release challenge. ***

*** Released for the 2017 Christmas/Holiday release challenge, for the Christmas-themed story. ***