reviews
previous reviews here
strong opinions ahead
just where i post all my little reviews on the books or stuff i've consumed lately.
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by: david sedaris
a few years ago, i read a sedaris book for an english class. the first thing i noted were his uses of foreshadowing on the context of his own life - retrospective critiques from a queer and older perspective. really fascinating literary devices. WYAEIF was just the same as the previous pieces i've read: blunt stories with delicate wording, a sense of "if i knew then what i know now" imbibed in the pages. i quite enjoyed this read, and i read it in two days as it was too good to put down. my only disagreement came from one story that - though i received its message - felt entirely out of place. the essay "What I Learned" felt jarring, heartfelt vignettes everywhere else, and then this strange satirical piece out of nowhere. i personally feel this didn't truly belong in this book, but perhaps another sedaris collection within a different theme.
the highlight of When You Are Engulfed in Flames was easily "April in Paris." a genuine and raw essay on the act of caring for creaturews that belong out of our control, and the strange way we attach to things others wouldn't. the title was also very clever, though i won't say why. just go read it.
7/10. i enjoyed it, but i don't think it will sit with me for very long.