The only place that seemed truly different was owned by a man named Mr. I hoped that in walking around after dark I might witness a murder, but for the most part our neighbors just sat in their living rooms, watching TV. But here, when you looked out the window, you saw other houses, and people inside those houses.

It just wasn't the right time.īack in New York State, we had lived in the country, with no sidewalks or streetlights you could leave the house and still be alone. It was more of a 'see you later' situation, but still I adopted my mother's attitude, as it allowed me to pretend that not making friends was a conscious choice. Our next house was less than a mile away, and the short journey would hardly merit tears or even good-byes, for that matter. Within a year we would move again and, as she explained, there wasn't much point in getting too close to people we would have to say good-bye to. My mother made friends with one of the neighbors, but one seemed enough for her. OBSERVER * 'Mr Sedaris's humour is dry, witty and consistently successful.' *ĮCONOMIST * 'Sedaris is like an updated Thurber: domestic, laconic, slightly warped but never bitter, and extremely funny.' *ĬULTURE, SUNDAY TIMES * 'His best, funniest, most satisfying book.When my family first moved to North Carolina, we lived in a rented house three blocks from the school where I would begin the third grade. This is a man who could capture your heart and lift your spirits while reading out the ingredients of a rice cake. These are scenes of family life at its best, written with clarity but also with great affection, through which the character of the author emerges, watchful, self-mocking and full of understanding. Sedaris shares something of Bennett's detached curiosity, and they both have a thirst for amusement - Craig Brown * Mail on Sunday * He's the real thing - James Naughtie * Radio Times *Ī deadpan, darkly comical portrait of the American underbelly. Apparently effortless humour is difficult, and precious. In an era when US satire is outpacing our own he's a sharp, humane and hilarious voice that never fails to make you smile - and sometimes weep. Ultimately, his masterstroke is in acting as a bystander in his own story * Guardian * So often Sedaris's phrasing is beautiful in its piquancy and minimalism.His life is extraordinary in so many ways - the drug addiction, the eccentric family, the crazy jobs, the fame, the globetrotting - but one of the more unlikely achievements here is in making it all seem quite ordinary.

Dress your family in corduroy and denim