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Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new illustrated collection of animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life.
In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members.
With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising.
In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members.
With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising.
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
1275 people are currently reading
36267 people want to read
About the author
David Sedaris
121 books28.3k followersDavid Raymond Sedaris is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries". He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. His next book, Naked (1997), became his first of a series of New York Times Bestsellers, and his 2000 collection Me Talk Pretty One Day won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
Much of Sedaris's humor is autobiographical and self-deprecating and often concerns his family life, his middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, his Greek heritage, homosexuality, jobs, education, drug use, and obsessive behaviors, as well as his life in France, London, New York, and the South Downs in England. He is the brother and writing collaborator of actress Amy Sedaris.
In 2019, Sedaris was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Much of Sedaris's humor is autobiographical and self-deprecating and often concerns his family life, his middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, his Greek heritage, homosexuality, jobs, education, drug use, and obsessive behaviors, as well as his life in France, London, New York, and the South Downs in England. He is the brother and writing collaborator of actress Amy Sedaris.
In 2019, Sedaris was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,095 reviews
March 6, 2012
This book is a new story each chapter. The concept of Anthropomorphism makes you believe that this book will be excellent or is it because I had to wait on a HUGE waiting list from the library? Yes this book was in my mind terrible. The concept is that animals have human traits and I think the author was trying to show that people are judgmental hypocrites, especially when it comes to choosing friends, raising children, dating, religion etc. I think it is supposed to be funny because you can relate to the extreme. I just have never associated with anyone so yucky. Example: crow teaching ewe to mediate then plucks out baby lamb's eyes, new rat makes fun of other rat for having cancer saying it is the rat's own fault for being negative then new rat gets injected with AIDS, mouse chooses snake for pet and steels baby frogs to feed snake... the frog mother comes over looking for her children...blah, blah. Seriously? I rarely leave a book unfinished even if I think it is terrible, because the overall concept must be reached for me to decide. I really don't think
I need to continue chapter after chapter of the same garbage. I never laughed, I didn't relate and I had a yucky feeling after every chapter. I would actually like to meet someone that enjoys this book and let me in on the secret. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
I need to continue chapter after chapter of the same garbage. I never laughed, I didn't relate and I had a yucky feeling after every chapter. I would actually like to meet someone that enjoys this book and let me in on the secret. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
December 1, 2010
David Sedaris is such a fudging ray of sunshine. I’m using the uncomfortable word “fudge” in this review as much as possible because I find it extra-obscene and sweetly domestic at the same time. Kind of like Sedaris. (Also, weirdly, I just found out that amazon.com will allow "fudge" as a replacement for "fuck," though to me there is a more obscene quality to "fudge," despite the fact that it is a yummy desert.) Anyway, I never realized before that it could make Sedaris' stories even more hilarious to anthropomorphize some animals in them WITH IAN FALCONER ILLUSTRATING. Holy crap. Warms the fudging heart. The O’Malley family basically nailed it when they said this is a book of fables about a bunch of assholes. It gets pretty touching and complex on the asshole theme. Especially for something that takes, like, two hours to read. I’m not saying this is better than his other books, because that would probably be a lie, but I think it’s at least as good as most of them.
There are so many things in my life to free associate with these stories because he got it all so fudging right, but I’m going to narrow it down to just a couple. First, Sedaris obviously understands what sociopaths bunnies are. The bunny story was so so true. So so true. And something that people need to know about.
Second, childbirth. I have never born a child, so my opinions about child raising and childbirth have more to do with observational studies than actual experience. One of the stories in Squirrel is about a crow, and she’s a mom who’s not in love with the job. Then she meets a sheep, who is also a mom, but a mom totally impressed by her own momness. This is something I’ve seen happen. So, the sheep mom reminds me in many ways of a dear, dear friend of mine, who I totally love, and who is a sometimes goodreader. I feel pretty okay making fun of her about an incident that happened with us because I’ll make fun of her to her face about it, and because I knitted her a bunch of baby sweaters, so that's gotta count for something. This story is probably going to horrify you, though. Consider yourself warned.
So, the sheep mom in Sedaris' story explains to the crow mom that after her child’s birth, she ate her placenta because it promotes bonding with her child. Now, I know that this is not the reason for eating placenta after childbirth – the real reason is that it contains natural opiates, so if you’re bummed out by childbirth (and, really, who isn’t?), it makes you feel better about the whole ordeal. I guess that promotes bonding, though, so maybe the sheep was right. How do I know this information? Because one of my dear friends cares a lot about people eating placenta. Like, she cares a lot. Granted, she was a midwife in India for a while, so it makes some sense. Still, though.
A few weeks after my friend had her first baby, she had worked her way through the placenta pills that the midwife made for her, and she sent me the email below. The subject line was, “does she ever kiss luke?” I have another friend, who is a non-placenta-eater, but who has a son named Luke. I thought it was from that friend and was freaked out right away that she was asking me if someone was kissing her son. The rest of the email made no sense in or out of that context. She said,
I really only called you to tell you to marry that guy who likes pam, get pregnant and eat only organic foods, no drugs (meaning like advil) and then give me your placenta....I only have 6 pills left...what to do otherwise?
I will start the Common Reader today.
Do we need to renew the library books?
I finished the color of water....
[signature]
PS Do Luke and Lorilie ever get together....it is killing us!!
I realized after I stared at the email for a while that all of the people she mentions are characters from TV shows that I had loaned her. I told her, though, that if I ever see her down a dark alley, I’m putting a stake through her heart. No questions asked. Anyway, this story came up during semennacht, and I told Elizabeth I would tell it sometime. So, there you have it.
This friend just had her second baby, who is just as snuggly and adorable as the first, and now her thing is that she’s not going to use diapers, but she’s going to constantly monitor the baby, learn her signs, and hold her over the toilet when she has to pee. Again, I love this friend, but that seems really inconvenient. When she reads Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, one of the things she will probably realize that doing silly, inconvenient, and gross things for her child does not necessarily make her a better mother. But, if she thinks it’s fun, whatever. I think it’s fun to write book reports, so who am I to judge?
You probably already know by now if you like David Sedaris or not, so I’d be silly to try to sell him to you. My strategy here has been more to embarrass a personal friend while kind of grossing you out. Making his style my own, if you would. If you haven’t already read Sedaris, my advice is to read Me Talk Pretty One Day first. I think that’s the best intro to him. This one has taken its place as one of my favorites of his for fudging sure, though.
There are so many things in my life to free associate with these stories because he got it all so fudging right, but I’m going to narrow it down to just a couple. First, Sedaris obviously understands what sociopaths bunnies are. The bunny story was so so true. So so true. And something that people need to know about.
Second, childbirth. I have never born a child, so my opinions about child raising and childbirth have more to do with observational studies than actual experience. One of the stories in Squirrel is about a crow, and she’s a mom who’s not in love with the job. Then she meets a sheep, who is also a mom, but a mom totally impressed by her own momness. This is something I’ve seen happen. So, the sheep mom reminds me in many ways of a dear, dear friend of mine, who I totally love, and who is a sometimes goodreader. I feel pretty okay making fun of her about an incident that happened with us because I’ll make fun of her to her face about it, and because I knitted her a bunch of baby sweaters, so that's gotta count for something. This story is probably going to horrify you, though. Consider yourself warned.
So, the sheep mom in Sedaris' story explains to the crow mom that after her child’s birth, she ate her placenta because it promotes bonding with her child. Now, I know that this is not the reason for eating placenta after childbirth – the real reason is that it contains natural opiates, so if you’re bummed out by childbirth (and, really, who isn’t?), it makes you feel better about the whole ordeal. I guess that promotes bonding, though, so maybe the sheep was right. How do I know this information? Because one of my dear friends cares a lot about people eating placenta. Like, she cares a lot. Granted, she was a midwife in India for a while, so it makes some sense. Still, though.
A few weeks after my friend had her first baby, she had worked her way through the placenta pills that the midwife made for her, and she sent me the email below. The subject line was, “does she ever kiss luke?” I have another friend, who is a non-placenta-eater, but who has a son named Luke. I thought it was from that friend and was freaked out right away that she was asking me if someone was kissing her son. The rest of the email made no sense in or out of that context. She said,
I really only called you to tell you to marry that guy who likes pam, get pregnant and eat only organic foods, no drugs (meaning like advil) and then give me your placenta....I only have 6 pills left...what to do otherwise?
I will start the Common Reader today.
Do we need to renew the library books?
I finished the color of water....
[signature]
PS Do Luke and Lorilie ever get together....it is killing us!!
I realized after I stared at the email for a while that all of the people she mentions are characters from TV shows that I had loaned her. I told her, though, that if I ever see her down a dark alley, I’m putting a stake through her heart. No questions asked. Anyway, this story came up during semennacht, and I told Elizabeth I would tell it sometime. So, there you have it.
This friend just had her second baby, who is just as snuggly and adorable as the first, and now her thing is that she’s not going to use diapers, but she’s going to constantly monitor the baby, learn her signs, and hold her over the toilet when she has to pee. Again, I love this friend, but that seems really inconvenient. When she reads Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, one of the things she will probably realize that doing silly, inconvenient, and gross things for her child does not necessarily make her a better mother. But, if she thinks it’s fun, whatever. I think it’s fun to write book reports, so who am I to judge?
You probably already know by now if you like David Sedaris or not, so I’d be silly to try to sell him to you. My strategy here has been more to embarrass a personal friend while kind of grossing you out. Making his style my own, if you would. If you haven’t already read Sedaris, my advice is to read Me Talk Pretty One Day first. I think that’s the best intro to him. This one has taken its place as one of my favorites of his for fudging sure, though.
August 21, 2016
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris is like Aesop and William Burroughs having a tough weekend outside the methadone clinic.
Actually it is like a cross between Woody Allen absurdist neurosis and Eudora Welty Southern Gothic grotesque with a nod to Gary Larson’s The Far Side. This is the second book I have read by Sedaris, the first being When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and though I very much liked the first book, I was disturbed by Sedaris himself. He came across as self centered and petty. Could be that is the caricature he presents to sell his comedy, but the affect was too close for my liking.
Both books are hilarious, I smiled frequently and there were many laugh out loud scenes in each. I actually liked the anthropomorphism better; it served to soften the impact of his snarky delivery. Still a lot of disturbing images, even sometimes funny at the same time, but if a reader is not offended by the rest of the book, then one of the last vignettes was by far the best: a great horned owl, a hippopotamus, a gerbil and a troupe of singing leeches.
Funny.
Actually it is like a cross between Woody Allen absurdist neurosis and Eudora Welty Southern Gothic grotesque with a nod to Gary Larson’s The Far Side. This is the second book I have read by Sedaris, the first being When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and though I very much liked the first book, I was disturbed by Sedaris himself. He came across as self centered and petty. Could be that is the caricature he presents to sell his comedy, but the affect was too close for my liking.
Both books are hilarious, I smiled frequently and there were many laugh out loud scenes in each. I actually liked the anthropomorphism better; it served to soften the impact of his snarky delivery. Still a lot of disturbing images, even sometimes funny at the same time, but if a reader is not offended by the rest of the book, then one of the last vignettes was by far the best: a great horned owl, a hippopotamus, a gerbil and a troupe of singing leeches.
Funny.
October 23, 2010
Wow, this book is incredibly disturbing! Instead of Sedaris's usual personal essays, here are dark, dark fables starring talking animals, each story brimming with all the horrible things people say and do to each other, and ending with an even more horrible zinger. The writing is clever, and I even chuckled occasionally, but I just couldn't get past the subject matter. (Picture adorable children's picture book pig Olivia with her eyes plucked out, and you have an idea about Ian Falconer's creepy accompanying illustrations.) The narration was the best part—Sedaris is so good at reading his own material, though in this case he only reads a couple of the stories, and Elaine Stritch, Dylan Baker, and Sîan Phillips join him, and ably, for the rest—but they were still reading really disturbing stuff. Usually, Sedaris has me laughing helplessly. This time, I was just wincing and waiting for it to be over.
August 7, 2014
Awww, they think they're people! KAWAIII!!!
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk is not your typical David Sedaris, self-confessional book. It's a collection of short stories in which animals have, for the most part, human conversations.
Fun, fairly light stuff with a bit of clever dashed in now and then as always found in a stew of David Sedaris stories. Light reading, yes, pleasant and positive? Not always...
What else could be expected from Sedaris? Dude's got a dark sense of humor. These stories might be fictional, they might not be self-referential, but they're pure Sedaris.
Listening to his previous books on cd and having seen him live has given me a taste for hearing his voice put to his words (...as well as totally making us besties, even if he doesn't know it yet.) The way he narrates them adds a good deal of flavor. That flavor may be a bit sour or a tad reminiscent of bile even, but I find small portions of it absolutely delicious. Clearly I need to go eat.
Rating: 3.5
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk is not your typical David Sedaris, self-confessional book. It's a collection of short stories in which animals have, for the most part, human conversations.
Fun, fairly light stuff with a bit of clever dashed in now and then as always found in a stew of David Sedaris stories. Light reading, yes, pleasant and positive? Not always...
What else could be expected from Sedaris? Dude's got a dark sense of humor. These stories might be fictional, they might not be self-referential, but they're pure Sedaris.
Listening to his previous books on cd and having seen him live has given me a taste for hearing his voice put to his words (...as well as totally making us besties, even if he doesn't know it yet.) The way he narrates them adds a good deal of flavor. That flavor may be a bit sour or a tad reminiscent of bile even, but I find small portions of it absolutely delicious. Clearly I need to go eat.
Rating: 3.5
February 26, 2015
sat·ire
ˈsaˌtī(ə)r/
noun
the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.
I've come to realize that I'm particular about satire, especially when it's supposed to be funny. I like smart humor - first make me laugh, then make me think. I like Jon Stewart, I like The Onion, I like The Simpsons... I could go on, but the point I'm making is that I like my satire to have bite and sharp edges, but most of all it should be funny.
And when I think David Sedaris, I think funny. Well, correction - I THOUGHT funny. Because this, despite all of the (lies) endorsements about being just the kind of edgy funny I should like, was just not fucking funny. Anthropomorphism doesn't make being a shithead funny.
It was the other kind of satire - like Flatland. It's exaggeration in the extreme. The-horrible-is-the-point kind of morality lesson satire.
Blech. That's all I have to say. This will be going into the donate-for-firewood pile.
January 26, 2011
I wanted to love this book, I really did. I have seen Mr. Sedaris read live several times and have always found him hilarious, so I thought I would listen to the audio version and see if I fared any better than the print version had with most of the readers on here, who seemed to be left cold by this latest offering.
On the plus side for the audio version, you get not just David Sedaris, but the incomparable Elaine Stritch, who raises the level of positively everything she is associated with (there are a couple of other readers, who are quite good as well). You also get a bonus story. Well, perhaps the bonus story goes on the minus side, as it is a rather sickening tale of vomit eating flies.
I smiled occasionally listening to this book, but I didn't laugh once. I get it, I do - it is meant to be a wry commentary on what assholes people are - I just didn't think it was funny. This is from someone who has laughed herself sick at other Sedaris offerings.
I will say, the stories are imaginative and well-crafted (only David Sedaris could give us an owl gerbiling a hippo). It wasn't an awful book, but it was a disappointing one.
On the plus side for the audio version, you get not just David Sedaris, but the incomparable Elaine Stritch, who raises the level of positively everything she is associated with (there are a couple of other readers, who are quite good as well). You also get a bonus story. Well, perhaps the bonus story goes on the minus side, as it is a rather sickening tale of vomit eating flies.
I smiled occasionally listening to this book, but I didn't laugh once. I get it, I do - it is meant to be a wry commentary on what assholes people are - I just didn't think it was funny. This is from someone who has laughed herself sick at other Sedaris offerings.
I will say, the stories are imaginative and well-crafted (only David Sedaris could give us an owl gerbiling a hippo). It wasn't an awful book, but it was a disappointing one.
Read
November 19, 2010No, I did not forget to assign a star rating. This book gets ZERO stars! I hated it. Really despised it. In fact, David Sedaris should give me 5 stars for reading this piece of trash!
I have always been a fan of David Sedaris. I was thrilled when I heard he had a new book out; I saw his appearance on the Daily Show and he was hilarious! He talked about the book and it sounded awesome, so I ordered it through Amazon the next day. Paid for expedited delivery. Couldn't wait for it to arrive! I started it soon after it showed up at the front door. I did not like the first story, but I knew it would get much better. After all, it was written by David Sedaris. The second story was no better, not even slightly interesting. Then things really went downhill. The stories were both boring and repulsive - a rare combination that made them even worse than that sounds! I read the whole damn book because Sedaris's previous books have always been great - they always made me laugh out loud. Well I can't say that anymore. Sedaris should be ashamed of this collection of odds and ends he picked up at the flea market.
In conclusion, and in keeping with the theme of the book, here's the blurb that should appear on the back cover:
"If you put a thousand monkeys in a room with a thousand typewriters for a thousand years they will eventually write the works of Shakespeare; but not even a monkey would enjoy this Sedaris book."
David Sedaris, you owe me $10.99!
I have always been a fan of David Sedaris. I was thrilled when I heard he had a new book out; I saw his appearance on the Daily Show and he was hilarious! He talked about the book and it sounded awesome, so I ordered it through Amazon the next day. Paid for expedited delivery. Couldn't wait for it to arrive! I started it soon after it showed up at the front door. I did not like the first story, but I knew it would get much better. After all, it was written by David Sedaris. The second story was no better, not even slightly interesting. Then things really went downhill. The stories were both boring and repulsive - a rare combination that made them even worse than that sounds! I read the whole damn book because Sedaris's previous books have always been great - they always made me laugh out loud. Well I can't say that anymore. Sedaris should be ashamed of this collection of odds and ends he picked up at the flea market.
In conclusion, and in keeping with the theme of the book, here's the blurb that should appear on the back cover:
"If you put a thousand monkeys in a room with a thousand typewriters for a thousand years they will eventually write the works of Shakespeare; but not even a monkey would enjoy this Sedaris book."
David Sedaris, you owe me $10.99!
February 9, 2018
A funny little book of stories starring animals in the place of people.
The audio was fun-especially the tales narrated by Elaine Stritch.
I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it instead. Also, the price seems kind of high to me for such a short book. Thankfully, I checked this out of my library for free.
**LIBRARIES RULE!**
The audio was fun-especially the tales narrated by Elaine Stritch.
I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it instead. Also, the price seems kind of high to me for such a short book. Thankfully, I checked this out of my library for free.
**LIBRARIES RULE!**
August 3, 2020
David says that some journalist described this book as “bed time stories for children who drink”. Well said journalist, whoever you are.
It’s about animals behaving in the petty, vain, ignorant, arrogant way humans do. Not his best work, but it wasn’t terrible either.
It’s about animals behaving in the petty, vain, ignorant, arrogant way humans do. Not his best work, but it wasn’t terrible either.
August 30, 2020
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris is exactly as advertised in the title. The characters in this book are animals. I cannot say that this is my favorite Sedaris book but the stories were sometimes charming, sometimes funny and sometimes tongue-in-cheek as only he can write. The saving grace of this audiobook are the narrators: Dylan Baker, Elaine Stritch, Sian Phillips and, of course, the author. If you are looking for a quick and light read, this one is for you.
April 10, 2025
This is my 5th David Sedaris book and easily the worst one. The concept is jokes told in the point of view of various animals. It's an interesting take for an entire book. Sadly, it just didn't work most of the time. There's a couple of gems buried in this trash heap. Good luck digging them out! I still have a few other Sedaris books to go through as it always make for light reading. Personally, I would just skip this one.
February 25, 2019
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris is a clever and witty book I got from the library. This book is filled with several short stories of all types. Some are humorous, some tragic, some clever and disgusting, some sad, some have an underlying social commentary, and I think some are just for fun! I really enjoyed it. I got the audible version and the narration was excellent!
January 14, 2021
I was hoping for some comic relief when I decided to pick this book up but what I got are mostly short, occasionally funny but more often dark fables, albeit with meaningful messages, some of them I honestly hated. I don't know why I still felt the need to keep reading until the very last story even though I would exhale a loud sigh or wince after each story. Perhaps, that's the author's power, to make you want to read even when you're already hating it.
I haven't read a lot of anthropomorphic books since Aesop's fables so I'm still very glad I got ahold of this because it did get me out of my reading slump. David Sedaris is very inventive even though most of the stories are depressing and disturbing. The illustrations are amazing though, they imaginatively and vividly express both the comic and the dark in each story.
Of course, there is always a lesson learned after each story, most often that humans are awful. Ugh!
Here's my rating for each story:
The Cat and the Baboon- 3/5
The Migrating Warblers-3/5
The Squirrel and the Chipmunk-3/5
The Road, the Turtle, and the Duck-3/5
The Motherless Bear-3/5
The Mouse and the Snake-3/5
The Parenting Storks- 3/5
The Faithful Setter-2/5
The Crow and the Lamb-3/5
The Sick Rat and the Healthy Rat-3/5
The Cow and the Turkey- 2/5
The Vigilant Rabbit- 3/5
The Judicious Brown Chicken- 3/5
The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig- 2/5
Hello Kitty- 4/5
The Grieving Owl- 3/5
I haven't read a lot of anthropomorphic books since Aesop's fables so I'm still very glad I got ahold of this because it did get me out of my reading slump. David Sedaris is very inventive even though most of the stories are depressing and disturbing. The illustrations are amazing though, they imaginatively and vividly express both the comic and the dark in each story.
Of course, there is always a lesson learned after each story, most often that humans are awful. Ugh!
Here's my rating for each story:
The Cat and the Baboon- 3/5
The Migrating Warblers-3/5
The Squirrel and the Chipmunk-3/5
The Road, the Turtle, and the Duck-3/5
The Motherless Bear-3/5
The Mouse and the Snake-3/5
The Parenting Storks- 3/5
The Faithful Setter-2/5
The Crow and the Lamb-3/5
The Sick Rat and the Healthy Rat-3/5
The Cow and the Turkey- 2/5
The Vigilant Rabbit- 3/5
The Judicious Brown Chicken- 3/5
The Parrot and the Potbellied Pig- 2/5
Hello Kitty- 4/5
The Grieving Owl- 3/5
March 5, 2018
If you're looking for a quick, entertaining left-field read that will supply you with the odd chuckle and occasional grin, then 'Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk' will satisfy.
Sedaris is a damn good writer. He takes the common (and occasionally not-so-common) animal and puts them in a variety of human-esque predicaments that still greatly adhere to the laws of the animal kingdom. It can be sweet and funny one moment, or surprisingly cruel and brutal at other times. Various animal characters have conversations, arguments, and heartfelt moments. Sometimes it's surface level, sometimes it's deep and insightful, and sometimes they dispense with words entirely and just tear each other apart (literally).
For an extra bonus, listen to the audio book featuring the voice talents of Elaine Stritch, Dylan Baker, Sian Phillips, and David Sedaris. Makes for some fun storytelling.
A solid three stars for a good book.
Sedaris is a damn good writer. He takes the common (and occasionally not-so-common) animal and puts them in a variety of human-esque predicaments that still greatly adhere to the laws of the animal kingdom. It can be sweet and funny one moment, or surprisingly cruel and brutal at other times. Various animal characters have conversations, arguments, and heartfelt moments. Sometimes it's surface level, sometimes it's deep and insightful, and sometimes they dispense with words entirely and just tear each other apart (literally).
For an extra bonus, listen to the audio book featuring the voice talents of Elaine Stritch, Dylan Baker, Sian Phillips, and David Sedaris. Makes for some fun storytelling.
A solid three stars for a good book.
August 17, 2016
I am struggling for words to describe this..... its definitely not on par with the author's usual work and each short story has its own weird twisted ending all of which made me feel slightly uneasy.
May 17, 2019
OMG! Heard him speak recently, and he read two stories from this book - due out in October. I'm not a huge fan of his satire, preferring his autobiographical stuff rather, but these stories were certainly funny and crowd-pleasing. Ian Falconer, author of the Olivia children's books, will be doing the illustrations. Can't wait!!
Got this for Christmas, and Whoa! Liked it way better than I thought I would - much harsher and more caustic than anything he's done before. Like Aesop but much scarier and meaner. I'd read it again too just to enjoy his perfect command of everyday American speech. He is a national treasure.
Got this for Christmas, and Whoa! Liked it way better than I thought I would - much harsher and more caustic than anything he's done before. Like Aesop but much scarier and meaner. I'd read it again too just to enjoy his perfect command of everyday American speech. He is a national treasure.
February 6, 2017
Well... no. Just no.
May 2, 2024
This had some funny bits. It did have moments that it reminded me of animal farm. Each "chapter" was a different story of different animals.
December 1, 2014
I see this has been rated incredibly low overall on Goodreads, and for a David Sedaris book, that is pretty startling. Why? Sedaris is one of the great humorists of our time, maybe for me the top writer going, the one writer who has consistently made me laugh aloud. In earlier times, I can think of Dorothy Parker and James Thurber, in their era, Peter DeVries decades later, and there are plenty more satirists/humorists/comic writers, of course, but I am thinking of a particular tone: urbane, sophisticated, satirical. Sedaris is in that group.
And he's best known for his memoir work, such as Me Talk Pretty One Day and his work on Ira Glass on NPR, his annual reading (since 1992) of "The Santaland Diaries" (when he worked as an elf). I first heard Sedaris read Me Talk Pretty One Day driving to New Orleans from Chicago and I was crying, I was laughing so hard. Not all humorists are comedians, but Sedaris reading his own work is a treat not to be missed. He credits Glass with jump-starting his success here in Chicago. Google Sedaris reading anything right now if you are a little down; go ahead!
Sedaris won the Thurber Prize for Me Talk Pretty One Day in 2001, and it is Thurber who can best help us understand Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. Thurber in 1940 published Fable for Our Time, a collection of 32 fables he had written in the thirties. Fables are typically shaped for children to be inspirational. Thurber turns these fantasies on their heads, hilariously. In his version of "the Tortoise and the Hare" Thurber has the hare winning, as any fool might expect, with the tortoise having proceeded no more than a quarter inch forward. Included is (and here I quote Wikipedia!) "an updated version of 'Little Red Riding Hood' which ends with the immortal lines, 'even in a nightcap a wolf does not look any more like your grandmother than the Metro-Goldwyn lion looks like Calvin Coolidge. So the little girl took an automatic out of her basket and shot the wolf dead.' All the fables have one-line morals. The moral of 'Little Red Riding Hood' is 'Young girls are not so easy to fool these days.'"
In Sedaris's own fables for his more contemporary time, this new century, he is equally sardonic. He doesn't update classic fables as Thurber did, but he is equally satirical about the high purposes of literature and society. I think compared to Thurber and his own memoir work, Sedaris is harsher and more sardonic here than is typical for him, and most of the tales end badly, violently. I think the writing is terrific, but I rarely laughed aloud as I do with his personal stories. The cute title and cover perhaps leads us to think these are going to be cute little children stories, or romantic tales about people who are different finding love together. Nope; couldn't be further from the truth. No happy endings here. Grimm's Fairytales were harsher than we've come to tolerate today, but they are definitely grim in their original versions. Maybe there's something here about our softening of those tales for contemporary ears that can help[ me understand why so many readers thought Sedaris was too dark here.
But the stories in Squirrel are often (though darkly) hilarious, and I think they are on the whole pretty great. I like so many of them: the title story, "The Motherless Bear," "The Mouse and the Snake" (which has a Thurberish ending, after a mouse adopts and raises a snake, loves him like her own child.. oops!), "The Parenting Storks," and "The Judicious Brown Chicken" (where the chicken also comes to a violent, Thurberish-Red Riding Hood ending). A kind of tribute by Sedaris to Thurber, I thought. But check out Fables for Our Time, too!
And he's best known for his memoir work, such as Me Talk Pretty One Day and his work on Ira Glass on NPR, his annual reading (since 1992) of "The Santaland Diaries" (when he worked as an elf). I first heard Sedaris read Me Talk Pretty One Day driving to New Orleans from Chicago and I was crying, I was laughing so hard. Not all humorists are comedians, but Sedaris reading his own work is a treat not to be missed. He credits Glass with jump-starting his success here in Chicago. Google Sedaris reading anything right now if you are a little down; go ahead!
Sedaris won the Thurber Prize for Me Talk Pretty One Day in 2001, and it is Thurber who can best help us understand Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. Thurber in 1940 published Fable for Our Time, a collection of 32 fables he had written in the thirties. Fables are typically shaped for children to be inspirational. Thurber turns these fantasies on their heads, hilariously. In his version of "the Tortoise and the Hare" Thurber has the hare winning, as any fool might expect, with the tortoise having proceeded no more than a quarter inch forward. Included is (and here I quote Wikipedia!) "an updated version of 'Little Red Riding Hood' which ends with the immortal lines, 'even in a nightcap a wolf does not look any more like your grandmother than the Metro-Goldwyn lion looks like Calvin Coolidge. So the little girl took an automatic out of her basket and shot the wolf dead.' All the fables have one-line morals. The moral of 'Little Red Riding Hood' is 'Young girls are not so easy to fool these days.'"
In Sedaris's own fables for his more contemporary time, this new century, he is equally sardonic. He doesn't update classic fables as Thurber did, but he is equally satirical about the high purposes of literature and society. I think compared to Thurber and his own memoir work, Sedaris is harsher and more sardonic here than is typical for him, and most of the tales end badly, violently. I think the writing is terrific, but I rarely laughed aloud as I do with his personal stories. The cute title and cover perhaps leads us to think these are going to be cute little children stories, or romantic tales about people who are different finding love together. Nope; couldn't be further from the truth. No happy endings here. Grimm's Fairytales were harsher than we've come to tolerate today, but they are definitely grim in their original versions. Maybe there's something here about our softening of those tales for contemporary ears that can help[ me understand why so many readers thought Sedaris was too dark here.
But the stories in Squirrel are often (though darkly) hilarious, and I think they are on the whole pretty great. I like so many of them: the title story, "The Motherless Bear," "The Mouse and the Snake" (which has a Thurberish ending, after a mouse adopts and raises a snake, loves him like her own child.. oops!), "The Parenting Storks," and "The Judicious Brown Chicken" (where the chicken also comes to a violent, Thurberish-Red Riding Hood ending). A kind of tribute by Sedaris to Thurber, I thought. But check out Fables for Our Time, too!
October 3, 2011
Wow, this is ……I don’t know what or how to?…. So David Sedaris has written several essays from the point of view of different animals living in the wild and dealing with day-to-day issues. I can imagine that some people might have thought WTF? But I found it quite enjoyable, some were disturbing, but when you get right down to it situations that were plausible and true to life in the real world.
The Grieving Owl was my favorite, about an owl whose mate has died and dealing with his idiot family is a bit too much. He wants a change and has decided to make an effort to learn new things everyday. Some of these things he finds fascinating, leeches found only on a hippo in a delicate spot, others not so fascinating
”Listen nothing you tell me about the going’s on in steakhouse would surprise me” Remember this is an owl talking.
It’s not just a love for owls that won we over (but they are adorable) it is Sedaris way with words how he effortlessly constructs these hilarious interactions between siblings, parents, bigot owls (yep), a lovely hippo and an extremely intelligent and “invasive” gerbil. I just found the whole thing endearing really.
I was disappointed to find out that David Sedaris does not narrate the whole audio book himself, but then I noticed Elaine Stritch as one of the narrators aka Colleen Donaghy Jacks Mum from 30Rock.
And I was a happy girl again.
The Grieving Owl was my favorite, about an owl whose mate has died and dealing with his idiot family is a bit too much. He wants a change and has decided to make an effort to learn new things everyday. Some of these things he finds fascinating, leeches found only on a hippo in a delicate spot, others not so fascinating
”Listen nothing you tell me about the going’s on in steakhouse would surprise me” Remember this is an owl talking.
It’s not just a love for owls that won we over (but they are adorable) it is Sedaris way with words how he effortlessly constructs these hilarious interactions between siblings, parents, bigot owls (yep), a lovely hippo and an extremely intelligent and “invasive” gerbil. I just found the whole thing endearing really.
I was disappointed to find out that David Sedaris does not narrate the whole audio book himself, but then I noticed Elaine Stritch as one of the narrators aka Colleen Donaghy Jacks Mum from 30Rock.
And I was a happy girl again.
October 16, 2010
Being an animal lover, and going on the reputation of David Sedaris being a very clever and humorous writer, I eagerly went to Borders to pick up a copy of this book for myself along with another copy for a fellow animal lover's birthday. I read the first story in Borders before buying and literally laughed out loud. So, off to the counter I went with 2 copies of the book.
I have to give thumbs up to whoever chose the layout of this book -- the first story was by far the best and the only time I laughed and felt happy throughout the rest of the stories that I read. Ok, I get the point that these are fables, and there may be morals to every story; BUT I don't need to read about a crow pecking out the eyes of a baby lamb (The Crow and the Lamb); or about 2 rats living in a research lab (trust me, I and the rest of the world know about labs that do animal testing) (The Sick Rat and the Healthy Rat); and I certainly did not need to read ANOTHER tale about a bull terrier "ripping the face off a child", since that is ALL we ever hear about this breed of dog (The Faithful Setter); and The Motherless Bear should have been scrapped altogether. I'm surprised I read as many stories as I did -- a total of 10 out of 16; I finally found myself getting so utterly depressed by the stories that I gave up -- and am returning the one I bought as a present.
If Sedaris wanted to do a bestiary and get some points across to humans that would read the stories, I think he would have fared much better if he followed the lines of the first story "The Cat and the Baboon" and the title story "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk".
The only good thing is that I read some of it BEFORE giving it as a present. I would have been mortified had I given a friend this book as a present.
I have to give thumbs up to whoever chose the layout of this book -- the first story was by far the best and the only time I laughed and felt happy throughout the rest of the stories that I read. Ok, I get the point that these are fables, and there may be morals to every story; BUT I don't need to read about a crow pecking out the eyes of a baby lamb (The Crow and the Lamb); or about 2 rats living in a research lab (trust me, I and the rest of the world know about labs that do animal testing) (The Sick Rat and the Healthy Rat); and I certainly did not need to read ANOTHER tale about a bull terrier "ripping the face off a child", since that is ALL we ever hear about this breed of dog (The Faithful Setter); and The Motherless Bear should have been scrapped altogether. I'm surprised I read as many stories as I did -- a total of 10 out of 16; I finally found myself getting so utterly depressed by the stories that I gave up -- and am returning the one I bought as a present.
If Sedaris wanted to do a bestiary and get some points across to humans that would read the stories, I think he would have fared much better if he followed the lines of the first story "The Cat and the Baboon" and the title story "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk".
The only good thing is that I read some of it BEFORE giving it as a present. I would have been mortified had I given a friend this book as a present.
April 10, 2025
A short read, described as a modest bestiary. A range of anthropomorphic animal tales, ranging from twee-macabre all the way to cute satire.
The best of this odd flock offers dark humour; the least aim at easy targets.
One may also see a parade of puns (“I’ve seen a cockatoo in my time”).
These fanciful fantasy tales are far from the regular Sedaris fare, and will not please all readers. I was mildly amused, and feel pleasantly generous awarding this trifle 3 stars.
The best of this odd flock offers dark humour; the least aim at easy targets.
One may also see a parade of puns (“I’ve seen a cockatoo in my time”).
These fanciful fantasy tales are far from the regular Sedaris fare, and will not please all readers. I was mildly amused, and feel pleasantly generous awarding this trifle 3 stars.
February 6, 2011
Dark, twisted, insightful, prophetic, hilarious, fun ! If you are not upset by 'foul' language, and the dark humor, this book is a belly laugh. Filled with anthropomorphic characters, with quite interesting attitudes. I have it on audio and the narrators could not have nailed they attitudes better. Short stories, a quick read. I am still chuckling.... ; ) I want to read more from this author
May 3, 2011
Let me start by saying I think that David Sedaris is one of the funniest human beings out there. I've read every book and attended his shows, laughing until I hurt. However, this book was a horrifying disappointment for me. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor, very funny turns of phrase and perect-timing endings, but the content is just a little too far over the line of dark humor to be comfortable.
Complicating matters, the illustrations are by Ian Falconer, author/illustrator of the "Olivia" series of children's books. This made the book endlessly fascinating for my four-year-old daughter. No matter where I hid it, she would find it and ask me to read it to her. How to explain the blood-soaked critters? And then there was my own cognitive dissonance as my brain recognized Falconer's illustation style but couldn't bridge the gap between darling piglet Olivia and, let's say, the exposed rectum of a hippoptamus?
I recognize that this book is an art form in itself and can appreciate the intelligence that had to be present to make its social commentary, however, for me, it was all just too far out and over the line.
Complicating matters, the illustrations are by Ian Falconer, author/illustrator of the "Olivia" series of children's books. This made the book endlessly fascinating for my four-year-old daughter. No matter where I hid it, she would find it and ask me to read it to her. How to explain the blood-soaked critters? And then there was my own cognitive dissonance as my brain recognized Falconer's illustation style but couldn't bridge the gap between darling piglet Olivia and, let's say, the exposed rectum of a hippoptamus?
I recognize that this book is an art form in itself and can appreciate the intelligence that had to be present to make its social commentary, however, for me, it was all just too far out and over the line.
October 12, 2010
I normally like to listen to Sedaris read his books (so much of the humor is in his tone), but I wandered into a bookstore the day this one was released and couldn't resist it. I have listened to him enough that I heard this whole book in his voice anyway. The clerk in the bookstore where I bought it (who clearly was not familiar with Sedaris's work) had put it on a front table because he wasn't sure whether it belonged in the adult or children's section. It's most definitely not for kids. It's a brilliant book about not very nice things (and cute fuzzy animals).
December 11, 2012
I bought this book because:
1) I had read a really, really great essay by David Sedaris about an episode from his childhood when his parents were considering buying a sea cottage. The essay was equal parts well-crafted, insightful, and humorous, making me want to read more from him.
2) I had a gift card to Barnes & Noble and this book was bargain priced, meaning I could get it and two others.
3) It was hardbound with a nice jacket, and I am a sucker for good-looking books (I was also tempted to buy a really beautifully produced hardbound edition of Walden before I realized just how ironic that situation was, I'll stick with my Dover Thrift version, thanks)
I didn't like this book because it was quite strange and often very ugly. Not ugly writing, because Sedaris was still as well-polished as usual, but because many of the stories were just brutal. The premise is the old "what if animals were like people," and Sedaris delivers on that, giving us some portraits of many of the less appealing elements of humanity translated to animal form. The character portaits are compelling and the baser human instincts are matched up with fitting representatives from the animal kingdom. But again, the content was just too rough for me overall. Then, when paired with the illustrations by Ian Falconer of Olivia fame, there was just something really grotesque about it.
I admit that I enjoyed one or two of the stories (especially the pot-bellied pig one), and there were good take-aways, but I do not recommend this book.
I guess I should have listened to my mother. When I told her I was picking up (or perhaps I had already picked it up) a book by David Sedaris she was surprised because of things she had heard. I still am interested in giving his writing another chance, but maybe this time from the library.
1) I had read a really, really great essay by David Sedaris about an episode from his childhood when his parents were considering buying a sea cottage. The essay was equal parts well-crafted, insightful, and humorous, making me want to read more from him.
2) I had a gift card to Barnes & Noble and this book was bargain priced, meaning I could get it and two others.
3) It was hardbound with a nice jacket, and I am a sucker for good-looking books (I was also tempted to buy a really beautifully produced hardbound edition of Walden before I realized just how ironic that situation was, I'll stick with my Dover Thrift version, thanks)
I didn't like this book because it was quite strange and often very ugly. Not ugly writing, because Sedaris was still as well-polished as usual, but because many of the stories were just brutal. The premise is the old "what if animals were like people," and Sedaris delivers on that, giving us some portraits of many of the less appealing elements of humanity translated to animal form. The character portaits are compelling and the baser human instincts are matched up with fitting representatives from the animal kingdom. But again, the content was just too rough for me overall. Then, when paired with the illustrations by Ian Falconer of Olivia fame, there was just something really grotesque about it.
I admit that I enjoyed one or two of the stories (especially the pot-bellied pig one), and there were good take-aways, but I do not recommend this book.
I guess I should have listened to my mother. When I told her I was picking up (or perhaps I had already picked it up) a book by David Sedaris she was surprised because of things she had heard. I still am interested in giving his writing another chance, but maybe this time from the library.
August 13, 2017
A few times I wanted to cry for the little animals, until I reminded myself that "they aren't real." Then I had to fight back the urge to throw up, stopping short because "those are paper flies, so they're not actually eating... that." Finally, in nearly every story, I recognized at least one person that I know and loathe... er.. love, but because they were mere representations, I resisted the temptation to curse out said loved ones.
Ok, that last part was a lie.
Overall, I loved the book. It was funny, and sad, and disgusting, simultaneously. I didn't always get the exact point, but I "felt" the lessen in there somewhere, and I was entertained from beginning to end.
My only complaint is that it ended too soon. I could have gone on with this book forever. Luckily, I have 3 other books of his, so when I'm through with all the other ones that I am currently committed to, it's back to nauseating, but hilarious, Dave Sedaris for me!
Ok, that last part was a lie.
Overall, I loved the book. It was funny, and sad, and disgusting, simultaneously. I didn't always get the exact point, but I "felt" the lessen in there somewhere, and I was entertained from beginning to end.
My only complaint is that it ended too soon. I could have gone on with this book forever. Luckily, I have 3 other books of his, so when I'm through with all the other ones that I am currently committed to, it's back to nauseating, but hilarious, Dave Sedaris for me!
October 24, 2010
I have always enjoyed David Sedaris' books in the past. He is witty, and his commentary on people and society is always clever, sometimes hilarious, and very accurate. In some respects, this book is all that, but I think it misses the mark, and it certainly didn't live up to my expectations.
It's a collection of 16 fables that feature animals with human characteristics, attitudes, biases, and frailties. Some are wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the first story "The Cat and the Baboon". Any woman who has ever spent time in a hair or nail salon will surely relate to it. Anyone who has ever gone on a first date or ever dated/married someone who was "different" will enjoy the title story "Squirrel seeks Chipmunk". His commentary on society's values is sometimes eerily accurate, but too frequently I found myself wondering "what was the point"? I guess it's too much to hope for eloquence and insight in every story in a collection, but I did expect more from Sedaris.
It's a collection of 16 fables that feature animals with human characteristics, attitudes, biases, and frailties. Some are wonderful. I particularly enjoyed the first story "The Cat and the Baboon". Any woman who has ever spent time in a hair or nail salon will surely relate to it. Anyone who has ever gone on a first date or ever dated/married someone who was "different" will enjoy the title story "Squirrel seeks Chipmunk". His commentary on society's values is sometimes eerily accurate, but too frequently I found myself wondering "what was the point"? I guess it's too much to hope for eloquence and insight in every story in a collection, but I did expect more from Sedaris.
November 13, 2010
Normally, I'm a big fan of David Sedaris's work, but I'm growing more and more worried that he's tapped out his abundance of ridiculous family-related stories and, thus, has lost some of his ability to make me laugh out loud while simply retaining small chuckle inducing capabilities. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk is his latest endeavor, which veers completely away from his habit of producing semi-personal anecdotes and instead focuses on his keen observational skills. This interesting little collection of short stories feature talking animals, interacting just like humans who seem beastly in light of such a comparison, but I wasn't really all that delighted with the whole.
I had heard of David Sedaris for a little while before I actually read any of his writing. He came to read at my college (which was an incredibly well-attended event) and when he signed my book, he wrote, "To Alana -- so nice to finally meet you!" It's pretty easy to gobble up his stories, but I tried to go slowly. I think my favorite piece (which still has me gasping for breath each time I read it, I'm laughing so hard) is "Six to Eight Black Men" about various Christmas traditions across the world, though a close runner-up is "Repeat After Me," which is incredibly touching as well as funny. There are so many stories, though, that stick in my mind, and so I'm usually one to chat up just how wonderful a writer Sedaris can be. I was a little disappointed by When You Are Engulfed In Flames, but chalked it up to the fact that Sedaris has practically settled down into a quieter life -- which makes for less funny antics even if his keen insight is as sharp as ever. So now we have Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and I'm fairly certain that this is his attempt at producing something that has nothing to do with any vaguely personal story... and I find myself wishing I had just spent the time re-reading one of his earlier works.
The general idea is that Sedaris took animals and put them in very human situations that seem to highlight just how dreadful human actions can be by assigning them to animals. The first story was my favorite, I think -- a cat and a baboon at a hair salon, the baboon grooming the vain cat and them gossiping about others. Irritatingly, though, I read this story in the bookstore and so started to look forward to everything, and then wound up a bit disappointed. Other stories tackle single observations or issues. There's a couple of birds recounting a not-very-funny experience from their travels which paints them in a rather racist light. A squirrel and a chipmunk date until they run out of things to say, but when the unsuitable relationship is forcibly ended by the chipmunk's family, she always thinks rather fondly of that romance. An Irish Setter discusses his marital problems and infidelities, wishing that he might seek out another mate but ultimately returning to his mixed-breed wife. A healthy rat blames a sick rat for his own illness by suggesting he's not being positive enough, then gets injected with AIDS. A self-righteous stork rants to her baby (because your kids are always an appropriate audience for your adult issues) about another stork's parenting skills, which only emphasizes how the self-righteous stork is neglecting her own baby.
The observations on the terrible things that humans do in every-day interactions are clever, but I just suppose I didn't need this to be an entire book. It felt like it dragged on and yes, Sedaris is smart in linking things together, but it means things are somewhat one-note. The concept is a bit strange to start with and things continue to be strange. In a usual Sedaris story, there's some progression and often some kind of conclusion... but here, I feel as though a single, somewhat sad observation was made on humanity each time and simply left there. It's not that I need my humor to be light and fluffy, but I would prefer some variation in tone. This is probably my least favorite Sedaris book. Had it been written by someone else, I might not be so harsh on it, but I expect great things from David Sedaris and this just feels like a let-down.
I had heard of David Sedaris for a little while before I actually read any of his writing. He came to read at my college (which was an incredibly well-attended event) and when he signed my book, he wrote, "To Alana -- so nice to finally meet you!" It's pretty easy to gobble up his stories, but I tried to go slowly. I think my favorite piece (which still has me gasping for breath each time I read it, I'm laughing so hard) is "Six to Eight Black Men" about various Christmas traditions across the world, though a close runner-up is "Repeat After Me," which is incredibly touching as well as funny. There are so many stories, though, that stick in my mind, and so I'm usually one to chat up just how wonderful a writer Sedaris can be. I was a little disappointed by When You Are Engulfed In Flames, but chalked it up to the fact that Sedaris has practically settled down into a quieter life -- which makes for less funny antics even if his keen insight is as sharp as ever. So now we have Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and I'm fairly certain that this is his attempt at producing something that has nothing to do with any vaguely personal story... and I find myself wishing I had just spent the time re-reading one of his earlier works.
The general idea is that Sedaris took animals and put them in very human situations that seem to highlight just how dreadful human actions can be by assigning them to animals. The first story was my favorite, I think -- a cat and a baboon at a hair salon, the baboon grooming the vain cat and them gossiping about others. Irritatingly, though, I read this story in the bookstore and so started to look forward to everything, and then wound up a bit disappointed. Other stories tackle single observations or issues. There's a couple of birds recounting a not-very-funny experience from their travels which paints them in a rather racist light. A squirrel and a chipmunk date until they run out of things to say, but when the unsuitable relationship is forcibly ended by the chipmunk's family, she always thinks rather fondly of that romance. An Irish Setter discusses his marital problems and infidelities, wishing that he might seek out another mate but ultimately returning to his mixed-breed wife. A healthy rat blames a sick rat for his own illness by suggesting he's not being positive enough, then gets injected with AIDS. A self-righteous stork rants to her baby (because your kids are always an appropriate audience for your adult issues) about another stork's parenting skills, which only emphasizes how the self-righteous stork is neglecting her own baby.
The observations on the terrible things that humans do in every-day interactions are clever, but I just suppose I didn't need this to be an entire book. It felt like it dragged on and yes, Sedaris is smart in linking things together, but it means things are somewhat one-note. The concept is a bit strange to start with and things continue to be strange. In a usual Sedaris story, there's some progression and often some kind of conclusion... but here, I feel as though a single, somewhat sad observation was made on humanity each time and simply left there. It's not that I need my humor to be light and fluffy, but I would prefer some variation in tone. This is probably my least favorite Sedaris book. Had it been written by someone else, I might not be so harsh on it, but I expect great things from David Sedaris and this just feels like a let-down.
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