David Sedaris

I wonder sometimes what makes people write the things they do.

I just finished reading Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris, one of my favorite authors. In my mind, the Sedaris clan can do no wrong. David's sister, Amy, is highly entertaining in an incredibly eccentric way. David himself is the soul of dry wit.

But Squirrel is a disturbing collection of stories about anthropomorphic animals in which the moral seems to always be that every last one of us is; at best--passive-aggressively selfish to a terrifying degree; and at worst--prepared to murder, cheat and demonize everyone who gets in our way.

I was lulled by the first few stories into thinking this would just be a book about the foibles of humanity and the silly things we do. As I went along though, each story seemed to get darker and more cynical.

I'd much rather read about David Sedaris living in France and asking his local butcher, "Is thems the thoughts of cows?" while pointing to the cow brains on the counter. But I guess some people might find that just as disturbing as baby animals getting their eyes pecked out by talking birds.