When You are Engulfed in Flames

I've nearly finished David Sedaris' When You are Engulfed in Flames. I picked this book up at the library for two reasons: on the cover is a skull with a cigarette (the ultimate poetic imagery of cigarette cool) and also I've wanted to become a fan of David Sedaris since he presented a monologue on This American Life a few years ago (Note: Sedaris' sister is Amy Sedaris of Strangers with Candy and Sex and the City fame).

I've heard mixed reviews of Sedaris' work--apparently he is well-known for sardonic essays on his own life. The few books which have strayed from his narcissistic formulae have suffered unpopularity on the charts (which is a surprise since shows like This American Life tend to encourage a quiet cult following of their contributors).

Although Sedaris' work isn't life altering, it is amusing and easy to read. Most of his stories surround his family, his addictions to alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, his struggle to publicize and yet hide his homosexuality. If you think these heavy topics can't sustain a humorous theme, you're wrong. Sedaris weaves the witty with the wicked and pauses only momentarily to reflect on the seriousness of his vices.

The characterizations Sedaris presents at times fall flat, but Helen, his poor rapist neighbor (yes, poor, because even Sedaris paints a pitiful picture of the ailing molester) and Sedaris' own longtime boyfriend, Hugh, are lively and tangible. His stories rarely have morals, more of a punch in the arm, as if to say, "Bet you didn't know you'd giggle quite so loudly there!"

I read this book on the metro and found myself apologizing for interrupting the quiet AM rush hour with my laugh.

The truth is, I'm not sure what pays for Sedaris to travel the world as he does in the book. Months in Tokyo, a rented home in Paris, impromptu trips to America, all seem incredibly extravagant for an author of the printed word in this digital age (when even newspapers are barely treading water).

There are no grand lessons here. And the book, while an interesting study in the extravagant nature of 80's twenty-somethings, gives insight into Sedaris--and not much else.