David Sedaris returns with his most deeply personal and darkly hilarious book. If you’ve ever laughed your way through David Sedaris’s cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you’re getting with Calypso. You’d be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those … and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it’s impossible to take a vacation from yourself.
With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny–it’s a book that can make you laugh ‘til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris’s powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.
This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris’s darkest and warmest book yet–and it just might be his very best.
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As the Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert was airing on Livestream I opened my ebook and began to read. I was soon laughing out loud. A few paragraphs later I laughed even longer and harder. I had to read out loud to my hubby. And then I knew. I could not read Calypso by David Sedaris while listening to the symphony.
I could not read it in bed. I would laugh my husband awake. When could I read it? During the day, with the windows open to let in the fresh spring air, so inviting after a very, very, long winter? What would the neighbors think?
Sedaris, Sedaris. You are such a problem, I thought.
Then I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride because the next story was about David’s youngest sister’s suicide. All of the siblings had pulled away from the family to “forge our own identities,” he explained; except Tiffany stayed away. And later in the book, he remembers his mother’s alcoholism and her early death, his father’s eccentricities, living with a defunct stove so his kids could inherit more money.
You laugh, you shudder, you feel slightly ill, and you feel sad. Because Sedaris is ruthless enough to write about life, real life, his life in particular, and we all see our own families and own lives in his stories.
I loved Sedaris’s chapter on the terrible tyranny of his Fitbit, and how he was adamant that he got to keep his fatty tumor to feed to a turtle. That crazy moment with his dad drove past a man exposing himself and then u-turned to take another look, his young daughter in the car.
Looking at family photos, Sedaris recalled “that moment in a family’s life when everything is golden” and the future held promise. In middle age, looking forward ten years “you’re more likely to see a bedpan than a Tony Award.”
Ouch. Too close to home, David.
I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
Writer and essayist David Sedaris first came to my attention on the BBC’s Radio 4 ‘Meet David Sedaris’ series a few years ago. Having found myself completely entranced and highly amused by his stories, I thought it was about time I got hold of one of his books.
In this volume, many of the tales centre around the beach house he bought on the Carolina coast, and the various family interactions that take place at the property. The prospect of getting older and the inevitability of death are very much at the forefront in this collection, and while the author’s knack of turning an ordinary story into an hilarious escapade is still very much in evidence, he also has the power to move the reader to tears.
I chuckled my way through this collection and had many genuine laugh-out-loud moments, so I can say with complete sincerity that this is the funniest book I’ve read in years. David Sedaris is an insightful writer with true comic genius. Buy his books today.
Many years ago, my friend Jim wanted me to come with him to Unabridged Bookstore in Chicago with him for a book-signing and reading from a relatively unknown author who had his first book out, BARREL FEVER. My friend had heard its author, David Sedaris, on NPR and had developed a friendship with him via letters. The book was the result of Sedaris’s many appearances on This American Life, I believe. Anyway, we went and were part of the audience of maybe 25 folks at the bookstore. There was no charge for admission and I had no idea what a treat I was in for from the rather nerdy looking young man who’d be reading from his work. When I got the chance to meet him after the reading, I told David Sedaris I too was an author, but one who wrote about much darker stuff, namely horror, he signed my copy of BARREL FEVER, with the inscription, “Boo. You can use that if you want.”
Flash forward a few years and I was headed back once again to Unabridged, where a reading and signing was scheduled upon the publication of Sedaris’s latest collection. What a difference! The store was mobbed and parking was so difficult that I gave up in frustration and went home.
Flash forward to now and CALYPSO, which marks, I think, one of Sedaris’s very best books. He brings to the stories contained within the collection a wisdom and maturity that will resonate with most of us, especially those of us growing older and who’ve faced losing family members and others close to us. That’s not to say there aren’t laugh-out-loud hilariousness afoot here, there is, in spades, but Sedaris’s musings about his parents (one dead and one in decline) brought out such poignancy and humanity that makes CALYPSO a masterpiece. I listened to Sedaris himself read the book on audio and when he gets to the last lines of the last piece about his father, my heart broke and I was in tears. And I looked very stupid because I was in the midst of an outdoor run at the time. But those last couple of lines not only tie the whole collection together, but our lives as human beings.
I have always loved David Sedaris and this has only made my adoration grow stronger. His essays resonate with truth and often leave me gasping for breath as I laugh out loud. The situations he finds himself in are so very real and human. Arguments with one’s family and loved one. The ridiculous in everyday life. The passions and regrets. I was sorry to finish.
While I was in London to see a beloved relative who is not well at the moment, I visited Daunt Books and picked up a copy of Calypso. My son, also a David, was stunned that I had never read David Sedaris before.
Boy, this book was just what I needed to face some of the challenges that I and many beloved family members are facing. After reading this book, I feel that I know Mr. Sedaris and like him.
This writer is probably laugh out loud funny to many people, but for me he is deep and insightful. He writes stories about his family.
I could not put this book down. I read it in one sitting. This was partially made possible because I was on a long flight home.
He shares his deepest, most precious memories of his long passed mother, her alcoholism, his sister Tiffany’s suicide. His relationship with his 90 plus father is interesting. He writes about his partner, his pets, his various homes. He puts himself down a lot in amusing ways. Reading these stories of his life feel like a modern Jane Austin novel. I can see why it takes him so long to write a book.
I immediately bought another book of his.
I didn’t think short stories were for me. A creative writing class in college pretty much poisoned my system against them. However, as I prepare to take another short story class, I figured I should give reading them another try. Since I’d heard so much about David Sedaris, I decided to start with him.
Oh my gosh, I giggled through this whole book. The flow of his writing kept me turning pages. His family and friends came to life with a richness that seems impossible to capture in so few words. The man has a gift! I can’t wait to read more of his work.
This book is a series of essays many of which take place at a beach house the author and his partner purchased in North Carolina. It is darkly funny and sad, and strangely compelling.
Lastest from this guy, wonderful read
Inappropriate
Typical Sedaris, always wanting the book to keep going and looking forward to the next. Pretty revealing about his personal and family life. Great book to listen to also as he reads very well too. Always looking forward to his next book. Easy to read, easy to listen to and very entertaining.
Bought it in the airport and was dying laughing on the plane. Sorry to the other passengers but it was so funny!
Review #5 of my 52 Week Book Challenge – Calypso
I’ve often wondered what it’d be like having dinner with the Sedaris family. Neither Amy nor David really gives a glimpse of that part of their life in their comedy. Until now. In Calypso, one of the funniest people on the planet lets us see a more personal side. While still full of his wit, Calypso shows the Sedaris family – like US Weekly celebrities – is just like us.
And it’s a tragic tale of technological addiction…
This is about as good as it gets.
I listened to the audio version of this while walking the dog, and laughed out loud many times, which passersby thought was strange behavior. Hilarious, classic Sedaris!
Sedaris is as wonderful as ever.
I read this for my gay book group and the reviews there were definitely mixed. I enjoyed it and found it laugh-out-loud funny at times, but some members were concerned about the way that Sedaris exploits the unhappiness of his family.
I’ve read everything he’s written. If Sedaris releases his grocery lists, I’ll read those too.
Funny. Poignant. Understated. David Sedaris knows when to get off the page.
This is a collection of short stories about Sedaris and his family. He flips from humor to sadness and from joy to tragedy with alarming ease. Sedaris is a writer at the top of his form; he tells us nothing; he shows us everything. The death of his sister, years ago, clouds the space between the words. The strained relationship with his father is never more than a paragraph away. A glance. A quip. But Sedaris shoulders on, self-doubts and regrets dragging him back, humor and wit carrying him through the hours that are fringed in pain. Sedaris doesn’t write about his pain. He leaves that out. That twist of emotion is laid upon the reader to experience based on her or his own life. Sol Stein, in his book Stein on Writing, states that the writer’s job is to give the reader an empty envelop for her or him to fill. The reader can fill that envelope better than the writer. David Sedaris knows this.
It’s not all Shakespearean tragedy. There is his trademark lighter fare as well. This is not a man who is afraid to poke fun at himself—laugh out loud fun. But the comic relief is well placed. They are brief interludes, allowing you to come up for air, before the rip tides of life carry you out again. Cue the clowns.
Robert Frost said that at the end of his life he could sum up what he learned in three words: “Life goes on.”
For Mr. Sedaris, it goes on with laughs.
/ 5
I will start by saying I listened to the audiobook of Calypso which is read by the author, David Sedaris and I highly recommend doing this as opposed to reading the novel. I always love when an author reads their nonfiction books and it’s like Sedaris was born to read his.
I was almost in tears from laughing so hard and that was at the very beginning of the book! I listened to this in the car a lot and people probably thought I was crazy. Sedaris covers everything from his relationship with his father to feeding a tumor to a snapping turtle. The audio includes parts of his stand-up shows which I really loved the inclusion of. I’m not sure I thought those bits were as funny as the rest, but they were definitely entertaining.
I enjoyed listening to Calypso so much that I was always sad when I had to stop. I did the audio CDs from the library or I probably would have listened to this in just one day. It was like I was TRYING to find excuses to drive my car so I could listen… It made me laugh, but I also loved how insightful he was. I definitely don’t agree with all his world views, but there was a lot I could get behind even as a 33-year-old female. My husband didn’t find him all that funny, so this won’t be everyone’s favorite, but it was definitely one of mine.
Final Thought: I loved Calypso and I am already thinking about tracking down and listening to his other books ASAP. This collection of essays makes you think, laugh and feel all the feels. I didn’t know much about Sedaris before, but this made me an instant fan and I can’t recommend the audio enough!
Always a comfort and a joy to read anything by David Sedaris. He shows in such great detail the dark side of life. And enough, that it let’s you know that you are not alone.
Gloria Squitiro: A first lady of Kanas City and author of May Cause Drowsiness and Blurred Vision: The Side Effects of Bravery—YOU, Too! can OVERCOME ANXIETY and live a bigger more carefree life—Become a New and Better You!
#YayForLaughter