Nilesh Jasani's Reviews > When You Are Engulfed in Flames

It is not often that this reviewer picks up a collection of essays. The exception for David Sedaris's "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" proved more than worthwhile.

Its entertaining and engaging collection of essays had frequent laughing-out-loud moments. The essayist's wry humor and sharp observations about everyday life mix with his incisive writing skills, resulting in unexpected statements that make you pause. This is due, in part, to the ability to find the absurd in the mundane.

The satirist is not afraid to bare inner fears and vulnerabilities. He feasts on them while sharing highly personal stories. The level of honesty makes the exposition of many age-old themes, like love or addiction, fresh and charming.

It also helps that the author has traveled extensively, lived in so many varied societies, and has been able to sprinkle stories from so many parts of the world. Still, he cannot avoid some of the essays turning repetitive or their topics appearing stale—a minor flaw in an otherwise highly engaging collection.