First, a disclaimer: I listened mostly to the audiobook which, upon closer inspection is titled "Barrel Fever: and Other Stories," not the subtitle from the print version (Stories and Essays), even though the cover art is the same. I was so confused by the audiobook that I was moved to check out the print version from the library to see what the he-e-double-hockey-sticks was happening. It was like David Sedaris on shuffle and I did not understand it at all. There were these like 5 minute pointless ramblings in between the longer stories. I still don't get it. As I said, the print version is different. The ramblings don't exist in the print version and it looks like about 1/3 of the material was left off of the audio.
So I tried to read it instead, and hated it almost as much as I hate Holidays on Ice. In fact, two of the stories from Holidays on Ice are in Barrel Fever. Why, Lord, why? I almost had an actual allergic reaction to seeing them again. Just like his stories in H.O. I., those in Barrel Fever largely rely on the hilarity of suicide and homicide to entertain and amuse you. Ho-ho-ho. A couple of the stories about his family--as usual--were funny, but very similar to what you can find in his other collections, only not as good. I was about to come to the conclusion that Sedaris just can't do anything other than memoir when I read the title story, "Barrel Fever." It turns out to be one of my favorite stories by him ever--and it's fiction. The rest is kind of a pile of guano though. Don't know what guano is? Watch Ace Ventura 2, people. I get all my fancy words from Jim Carey movies.

loveeeee

Many hilarious moments - the rare laugh out loud event occurred a few times in the car, especially his depiction of his brother Rooster with sister Amy in You Can't Kill the Rooster essay:

My brother politely ma'ams and sirs all strangers but refers to friends and family his father included, as either "bitch" or "motherfucker." Friends are appalled at the way he speaks to his only remaining parent. The two of them once visited my sister Amy and me in New York City, and we celebrated with a dinner party. When my father complained about his aching feet, the Rooster set down his two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew and removed a fistful of prime rib from his mouth, saying, "Bitch, you need to have them ugly-ass bunions shaved down is what you need to do. But you can't do shit about it tonight, so lighten up, motherfucker."

and:

When a hurricane damaged my father's house, my brother rushed over with a gas grill, three coolers full of beer, and an enormous Fuck-It Bucket -- a plastic pail filled with jawbreakers and bite-size candy bars. ("When shit brings you down, just say 'fuck it,' and eat yourself some motherfucking candy.") There was no electricity for close to a week. The yard was practically cleared of trees, and rain fell through the dozens of holes punched into the roof. It was a difficult time, but the two of them stuck it out, my brother placing his small, scarred hand on my father's shoulder to say, "Bitch, I'm here to tell you that it's going to be all right. We'll get through this shit, motherfucker, just you wait."


His brother's dialog is spoken by Amy in the audiobook and it is hilarious.

Although many of his stories are filled with delusions of grandeur and insane self absorption, when Sedaris does it, somehow it's still funny. For example:

"The press is having a field day over my relationship with Mike Tyson. We tried to keep it a secret, but for Mike and me there can be no privacy...We look so good together, everyone wants pictures..."

"Mike and I are arguing over what to name our kitten. For the record, a long haired cat is one thing, but a big white Persian/Himalayan blend named 'Pitty Ting' is something else altogether..."

"At one point, I told the cat to shut up, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Mike raise his fist. It all happened so fast... I'm no stranger to a flaring temper, but after he hit me, I got out of the car and just walked away. Mike followed me. He got out of the car and started begging, on his hand and knees, whimpering his remorse. I put my hand up to my eye, pretending to wipe away some of the blood, and then, WHAM! Boy did I clip him!"

"While he was unconscious, I kicked his little cat out of the car. When he came to, Mike had forgotten the entire incident. That happens all the time. 'What happened' he asked? I told him, 'You don't remember? You promised that you would buy me a pony.'"

"We rode round and round the block on that pony, who groaned beneath the collective weight of our overwhelming capacity for love and understanding... "


Sedaris is outrageously funny in this collection of short, unbelievably fictional stories. In this one, called "Parade" he drops the names of many of his high profile "former lovers" including Bruce Springsteen, Charlton Heston, Peter Jennings, and of course, Mike Tyson...it was too funny to not to laugh out loud.

2 stars if it were not for the essays at the very end.

This book is pretty absurd and funny. It was cool to read Sedaris’s first published work from 1995. There were definitely parts that felt dated and inappropriate upon living in a more conscious society, but most still felt relevant and deliciously twisted and ridiculous. The prose also felt so fresh and recent, kind of like reading a tumblr page or blog (but in the best way possible, almost like a parody it). It was an accessible, enjoyable read.

Favorite short stories included: The Last You’ll Hear from Me, My Manuscript, We Get Along, Season’s Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!, After Malison, Barrel Fever. Favorite essay was SantaLand Diaries.

don't link gays and war criminals! as a member of both communities, i would like to point out that there are some stark differences.

Me Talk Pretty One Day is still the best. I think I only laughed out loud ONCE in this entire book. The themes are random and the characters are fictitious... I guess I was expecting the stories to be about Sedaris´life, and so it took a few chapters to get used to the idea that he was making up the characters... and then he would randomly bring in his own family stories. I didn´t catch an overall theme to this book at all.

I felt like the stories were all rather obnoxious and the essays only really had 2 especially enjoyable/strong ones. The hints of the greatness to come are noticeable in this early Sedaris, but ultimately it was meh at best.

It was okay, I definitely enjoyed the essays more than the stories. His dry humor is there but his later collections are better.

Good writer, bad writing. Actually, worse than bad. These short stories were funny in the sense that mass murder is amusing. "We Get Along" is easily one of the most depressing short stories I've read. Looking at the reviews and actually having read the book, I can only wonder whether we read the same book. And I wonder how people could find the stories uproariously funny. I mean, "laugh[ing] out loud more often than anything I've read in years"? What? These stories made me wince more often than anything I'ver read in years. The only positive I could take away from this book was Sedaris' repeated return to the theme of a normal world that seems insane to someone who is insane.

Drag (Diary of a Smoker) - 2.5
Giantess - 2.5
The Curly Kind - 3.0
Can't Kill the Rooster - 2.0
Parade - 1.0
The Last You'll Hear From Me - 3.0
Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2 - 2.0
Barrel Fever - 2.5
Don's Story - 1.5
Golden Moments - 4.0
Tattletale - 2.0


Music for Lovers -
My Manuscript -
Firestone
We Get Along
Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!
Jamboree
After Malison
SantaLand Diaries