Like all the best families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.
- Elizabeth II
This is a collection of 22 essays in which Sedaris digs into his family treasure chest of memories detailing in sharp colours the eccentricities of his family members. There is Lisa, who was made out to become the most successful of the children but who had taken a detour with her paranoia and paralyzing fears; there is Tiffany who has brought vintage several degrees beyond, fashioning herself literally as a garbage woman; there is Paul, who has zoomed financially ahead of everyone in the family, peppering his sentences with cuss words along the way; there’s the Parents, who mildly remind us of certain people we have met in our lifetimes; and of course there’s David himself with the foibles of his adolescence which was made more interestingly so with his early awareness of his homosexuality. Also figuring out in this collection is Hughes, David’s partner, and their squabbles which are not different from the everyday vexations of heterosexual couples.
Sedaris is adept at creating a balance between humor and wit on the one hand and family nostalgia and making pinpricks on the other hand. The reader ends up in stitches essay after essay in this collection and realizes that ultimately, no matter how quirky our family members may be, and no matter how they may sorely try our patience at times, we will love them unstintingly and in perpetuity.
The collection includes the following essays:
1. "Us and Them" - childhood memories of a family "who don't believe in TV"
2. "Let It Snow" - the day when Sedaris's mother locked her children out in the snow
3. "The Ship Shape" - childhood memories of the second home that his father never bought
4. "Full House" - a childhood game of strip poker gives the young Sedaris a touching moment
5. "Consider the Stars" - reflecting on the cool kid at school
6. "Monie Changes Everything" - Sedaris's rich aunt
7. "The Change in Me" - the 13-year-old Sedaris wants to act like a hippie
8. "Hejira" - Sedaris's father kicks him out of his house due to his homosexuality
9. "Slumus Lordicus" - Sedaris's father's experiences as a landlord
10. "The Girl Next Door" - Sedaris's relationship with a girl from a troubled family
11."Blood Work" - a case of mistaken identity while cleaning houses
12. "The End of the Affair" - Sedaris and Hugh's different reactions to a love story
13. "Repeat After Me" - Sedaris's visit to his sister Lisa, and his family's feelings about being the subject of his essays
14. "Six to Eight Black Men" - thoughts about the traditional Dutch Christmas story, among other cultural oddities
15. "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post" - Sedaris's younger brother is born and gets married
16. "Possession" - searching for a new apartment, and Anne Frank's house
17. "Put a Lid on It" - a visit to Sedaris's sister Tiffany's home, and their relationship
18. "A Can of Worms" - Sedaris's mind wanders as he, Hugh and a friend eat at a diner
19. "Chicken in the Henhouse" - prejudiced attitudes towards homosexuals in America
20. "Who's the Chef?" - bickering between two people in a long-term relationship
21. "Baby Einstein" - the arrival of his brother's first baby
22. "Nuit of the Living Dead" - a late night encounter at home in rural France
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