Happy-Go-Lucky x David Sedaris
People just don’t tell stories like this anymore.
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Personal Essays
📖 272
When I need introspection, I turn to Didion. When I need laughter, I turn to Sedaris.
Happy-Go-Lucky, like David Sedaris’ other books, is chock-full of deeply personal essays, the likes of which find humor in the awkward and comfort in the relatable. It is another reliable read from an author who never takes himself too seriously, all the while being immensely serious. A prime example of this is when upon learning that his father is dying, Sedaris writes,
The hospital I was in had opened in 2000, but it seemed newer. From our vantage point in the second-floor radiology department, Hugh and I could see the cafés situated side by side in the modern, sun-filled concourse below. “It’s like an airline terminal,” he observed.
“Yes,” I said. “Terminal Illness.”
The stories within Happy-Go-Lucky are reflections of the past few years, including COVID, the end of Trump’s presidency, the Hong Kong protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, and grief of his father’s death. In other words, this is not a light book. Maybe that’s why there is a freaky looking clown on the cover, trying to ward-off the faint of heart.
Sedaris is opinionated and makes sure you know it. Whether it’s over candle brands worth owning, of which there are supposedly only two, Trudon and Diptyque (although, I need to argue that Wood Wicks should be included as well because the crackling sound of wood and flame is something we could all use a little bit more of), or flipping through the reoccurring sub-topics of hemorrhoids, Minnesota, and bras, Sedaris does what he does best - tell simultaneously emotional and hilarious stories with a distinct fluidity and interconnectedness across both chapter and book, echoing the human condition.
People just don’t tell stories like this anymore.