One of Sedaris’ later essay collections, written at a point when the persona is settled and the humour sharper for it.

The pieces move through family anecdotes, minor humiliations, travel misadventures and small acts of stubbornness, before ending with the extended essay set in Tokyo, where Sedaris attempts to quit smoking, poorly.

The tone is Sedaris all over, that dry, self-exposing, occasionally mean thing, but there’s a steadier undercurrent here. The jokes sit beside reflections on compulsion, estrangement and the long half-life of family dynamics. As always, the pleasure is in the sentence that makes you go: 'ha'.

For readers who prefer Sedaris in essay form rather than concept projects, and who appreciate humour that understands embarrassment isn't a punchline.