Drama, Ridicule and Surrealism in “Naked” by David Sedaris

Why do we read books exactly? While some people only use books in order to research facts, there are still many who see them as a form of entertainment… they read books because they allow their readers to escape from the real world, at least for a few hours. 

And so, we do not complain when books present far-fetched stories; we are content to completely suspend our disbelief in favor of hearing something interesting, which in most cases wouldn’t happen in this world.

Naked by David Sedaris is a surrealist and strange tale which actually originates from Sedaris’ own memory, and of course, his unique perspective on things which we have all grown to love (or hate, as some people do). He puts us into a world which resembles ours at first glance, but as the story goes on and on, it becomes apparent that its inhabitants are nothing like the average, normal people we meet day-to-day. 

Among the eccentric characters is a mother who does impressions of her son’s nervous ticks, a family which arranges a marriage with death looming all too clearly above them, and to tell you more would be spoiling the story for you. It is truly a fascinating world which were presented here, with every single event brining something new and unexpected to it.

Naked by David Sedaris (Book cover)
Who would I recommend this book to? Well, for starters, I think it would be best to describe it as a dark, surreal and often satirical comedy about human nature, how deep inside we are capable of undertaking the most surprising of actions and brush it off as either amusing or common. 

Also, the story is based on Sedaris’ life, allowing readers to get closer to the author and more familiar with the types of things he had to go through. All in all, I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes stories that are light-hearted on one side yet deep and thoughtful on the other.

David Sedaris (Author)

David Sedaris


Personal site

David Sedaris is an American comedian, humorist and author who received national recognition back in 1992 when his essay, "SantaLand Diaries" was broadcast on National Public Radio.

Since then he has been publishing essay collections, articles and audio recordings on a very regular basis, and they include Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed in Flames.



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