Review by Robert Lawrence
The book title contains everything that makes David Sedaris such a popular author: his musings, health and weirdness. This is what makes the author such a delightfully wicked read. He often writes about what we wish we could say—or do. And the cost is a trip through his often quirky, strange and hilarious world. Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls is no exception. With that in mind, this offering by Sedaris should probably not be the first book for a newcomer to the author. It is that very eccentric world which limits this book to hardcore Sedaris fans. Newcomers may be put off by some of the material. For the Sedaris fans, however, there are several jewels to be found. The window to the author’s mind and his personality is better than ever, and his ability to find insight in even the strangest situations makes this book worthwhile for the diehard Sedaris fan.
The stories that will probably stand out most to readers are the ones which are most idiosyncratic to Sedaris. The book starts with a full-fledged account of the author finding a dentist in France. Bleeding gums, numerous visits and his hypochondriac tendencies are handled in the standard David Sedaris fashion—witty and weird blended together. Reader can’t fail to catch the joy of his dentist visits: “I’ve gone from avoiding dentists and periodontists to practically stalking them, not in some quest for a Hollywood smile but because I enjoy their company.”
Other stories stand out at classic Sedaris as well. He details his first colonoscopy and ends with a wickedly funny story: lying to his father that he has colon cancer. Again this is classic Sedaris—pulling a joke we, in our manners, would never attempt. Readers new to Sedaris would be understandably offended. But Sedaris readers are familiar, even comfortable, with the humor that explores the less tasteful side of our nature.
Sedaris fans, and even first-timers, gain a wonderful insight into his nature and way of viewing life. The author’s ability to find insight and juxtapose it with weirdness is illustrated in “Loggerheads.” A young David details the mysterious slow descent of his clutch of sea turtles to Davey Jones’ locker. Of course, the raw ground beef he feeds them might have been the cause. At the same time, Sedaris’ friend, Shaun, experiences the death of his father. And as Shaun sits on the back porch after the funeral, looking down the scope of his cherished BB gun, the mature David looks back, reflecting. “I tried to see what I imagined he did: a life on the other side of this, something better, perhaps even majestic, waiting for us to grow into it.” Sedaris digs deep for insight in the desperate, and strikes gold.
I could go on, but the jewel is “Standing By,” Sedaris’ adventures in an airport. From the old men in golf shorts to Rastafarian families, to hearing Adolf Hitler getting paged for a courtesy call, this is David Sedaris at his best. Newcomers to the Sedaris canon should put off reading this until they know him better through his other works. However, for the Sedaris fan, Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls is another insightful look into the mind of its author.
Robert Lawrence is an instructor at Middle Tennessee State University, where he teaches Freshman English and reads obsessively in his spare time.
