The overall swing of the group was mild disappointment. One member really did not like the book. Another "didn't hate it." But once we got to talking about it, flipping through the book and parsing out the stories, most agreed that the book was fine, if you like that sort of thing....For you Sedaris fans out there, of which there are many in our group, if you are going to read this book, PLEASE NOTE it is NOT his usual style of funny most-likely-true essays.
These are .... well, simply put, they're animal allegories. They are allegories of essentially crap people, but in the stories, such "people" are animals. For example, there is the story of the Bear who lost her mother and needed sympathy.... and then kept asking for it... and, well, i hate spoilers. Suffice it to say, these are not characters that endear themselves to you. But for many, they are relatable experiences - someone you know, someone you wish you didn't know, some conversation you overheard.
One of the girls in the group really liked the book. This was a reader who did not, however, have any other Sedaris familiarity. Which made us think... we were probably harder on the book because of what we were hoping for... what we were expecting.
So the short of it? If you are a Sedaris fan, pick up this book w/ the knowledge that it is NOT a "Sedaris." It's good. It's insightful. It's dark. It's funny (in that dark sort of way). But it's different...
Next up? Anne of Green Gables. Yep, we're takin it back to the Old School, 'cause I'm an Old Fool, who's So Cool......
(need sleep)
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