When You Are Engulfed In Flames
When You Are Engulfed in Flames is the fourth book I've read by David Sedaris, and although I'm in the minority of most reviewers, this book is arguably one of, if not my favorite. Sedaris is an author of memoirs; stories about his life that are "mostly" true. Each chapter is a different story...a different moment in his life put to paper in a comedic fashion.
Flames tends to be devoted more to his adult life than his previous novels. There are more stories about his relationship with his longtime partner, Hugh and their life in France than in any of his previous books, while his other books focused more on his dysfunctional childhood family life. While I enjoy those stories, I also enjoy the stories of David as an adult dealing with day to day relationship issues with his boyfriend...or the story about fighting a war with the evil birds who attack his apartment every day at the same time...or the story about moving to Japan to quit smoking and miserably failing Japanese language classes.
While I don't think David Sedaris is my favorite memoirist (if that's even a word), I always find his books entertaining and humorous. Even if the stories aren't 100% true, (and come on...who COULD remember every event in that great detail?) his books always keep me coming back for more.
Book Rating: B
