Book Review: Barrel Fever

Barrel Fever - David Sedaris

I'll start by saying that I adore Sedaris. Unlike some, I have yet to meet him or see a live reading, however I really hope to one day. His essays are personal with such an observant and hilarious twist. With that said, I was somewhat disappointed with Barrel Fever for a few understandable reasons.

First off, it's his first book. His writing has progressed so much from book to book that it's completely understandable that this book didn't live up to Dress Your Family... (my favorite). It's not that the writing is bad, far from it, it's just not as developed as some of his later essays. Instead, these are shorter, more direct and to the point without his wonderful asides and descriptions. Second, as I've previously mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of his short stories. They're okay, but not NEARLY as good as his essays. They usually focus on a flawed (and typically awful) person who's going through something or explaining something. They're meant to be funny, but sometimes I just don't get the humor. So it didn't bode well for me when more than half the book featured short stories. Third, I read a good amount of these previously.

Barrel Fever is a good first book. It shows Sedaris' style and writing aptitude. It shows what he's capable of, but doesn't exactly bring it to the next level. The stories were okay, some chuckle worthy and some just boring. The essays were shorter, not as endearing. "Diary of a Smoker" was amusing and somewhat gave way to the title essay in When You Are Engulfed in Flames. And, of course, it ended with "Santaland Diaries" which redeemed the book and is a holiday classic.

All in all it was an okay book. I probably won't go back to it like I do his many other books for inspiration and amusement. But, I'm glad I read it. It's nice to see how a writer began, especially when you know how they turned out.