Book Review: David Sedaris Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary By Tessa Tapscott (06/08/13 23:12:27)
I read this book shortly after its release, as I am an avid David Sedaris reader, it was just a happy coincidence that it was about animals. The stories, while comedic are not necessarily happy or even pleasant, in fact all of them are quite cynical, some are even downright disgusting. Sedaris does not favor certain species or even domesticated versus wild animals, no creature is safe from his sharp-wit and cutting diction.
One of the stories outlines is told from the point of view of an Irish setter, a breed of dog that is known for its beauty and loyalty. This particular setter is “married” to a mixed breed, who resembles a caricature of the human equivalent of a “hick” or “hackneyed” character. She swears like a sailor, has a short temper and no notion of marital loyalty. The pure bred setter, of course, is well-spoken, level-headed and has a particularly strong sense of smell that favors books over the scent of the television. At some point the female has an “affair” with the bull terrier next door, whom later mauls a little girl. The setter simply forgives all her missteps and even acts as a father to the puppies that are not his. This quality in humans might be looked at as passive and unmanly, this dopey, easy-going characteristic is common in most Irish setters and proves that Sedaris must have actually researched not only dogs, but individual breeds of dogs. While the writing is so humorous one might not expect it to be well informed, but Sedaris takes his time to inject natural qualities into the animals that he anthropomorphizes in his work.
At the end of the story the dog and his person drive past a burning house. With the help of a very lucky dachshund the setter discovers that a teenaged son is trapped on the second floor. Unlike Lassie, the setter does not leap into action to save the child, as the smell of burning flesh wafts into his hypersensitive nasal passages the only thing the setter can think of is how hungry he is and his hope that his person will stop for hamburgers on the way home. While this sentiment is rather morbid, it seems like this response would be the more accurate one among dogs and I appreciate Sedaris’s adherence to this kind of harsh reality.
Many of the other stories in the book employ this kind of darkly realistic humor and while it is certainly guilty of anthropomorphizing, I think that it appeals to both animal lovers and those that appreciate quality writing. I look forward to Sedaris’ future work and I hope that he continues down this animal related writing path.
[Write Comment]