I have read several collections by David Sedaris, and this is by far the most unique. His usual fare is hysterical portraits drawn of family members and other human misfits he has run across in his life's journey. But in this bestiary, these misfits are animals, who unfortunately are seem to share some of the same virtues and vices as their more evolved brethren, humans.
For example, the animals in the title story are dating, and the chipmunk's family doesn't like it. She feels when the squirrel asks her whether she likes jazz, that she must answer in the affirmative, even though she doesn't know what it means. When she asks her family, although they don't know that jazz is a type of music, they are also suspicious of the squirrel for bringing it up. As a result of their ignorance, the chipmunk breaks up with the squirrel, but spends the remainder of her life trying to find out the meaning of jazz, and creating her own fantasies, both good and bad, about what it could be.
When I started reading the book, I didn't like it as much as Sedaris' other stories. However, it was a quick and easy read - I probably finished it in under 2 hours, and got several good chuckles and some interesting life lessons out of it. As always, Sedaris is often that strange combination of touching and salacious, but his clever, easy to read style and gift for description are still brilliant. It's always a pleasure to pick up one of his books, and I can't wait till I finish them all.
Submitted by Gerti
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