I have long appreciated David Sedaris’s humor. His latest book, Calypso, uses humor to tackle some darker subjects, like his late mother’s alcoholism, his sister Tiffany’s suicide, his father’s aging, and the 2016 presidential election. He forgives no one, including himself, for their less than stellar moments, and comes off in this non-fiction book that reads like journal entries like a loveable curmudgeon. Despite that the subject matter in these vignettes is family and death, the book never felt dark and heavy, because Mr. Sedaris’s humor was liberally sprinkled throughout. ( )

I've been a fan of David Sedaris ever since reading Me Talk Pretty One Day. Curiously, he's scarcely known in New Zealand, as far as I can tell. This is a darker comedy than previous collections, dealing with his wealth and fame and the suicide of his sister, but it's still cutting and hilarious. ( )

When it comes to David Sedaris, audiobooks are always better than print ones. Especially since he is the one narrating. It feels good to get a Sedaris book from time to time and listen to his take on life. I can even hear his comments as I go about my own day, for example when the cashier at the grocery store asks about my plans for the weekend. Sedaris is insightful and entertaining.
But Mr. Sedaris: I really did not need to hear what you did with your lipoma. That was a little too much information. ( )

Not all humor comes from pain, but this author's sure does. Laughed several times while listening. Poignant and sad despite that.

Calypso is filled with comedic gems that will make you grin. The stuff about the Fitbit (tracking device for number of steps) builds as David Sedaris becomes obsessive about increasing steps from 10,000 to 60,000. He ignores the pain in his collapsed legs just, so he can hit the next level. I love the line where he tells his husband, “If anything happens to me, you should find another partner. I have this attractive man just for you.” Hugh, David’s husband answers “What would I want with an attractive partner?”
There are moments of tenderness and depth when David tells stories about his father and his sister that committed suicide.
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