Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by Davis Sedaris was a delightful find at the local library. I ended up checking out the audio version of the collection of short stories and listening to it in my car during my commute. I have to admit I did not know what I was getting into when I first started listening, but to my surprise I was delightfully engaged.
I had never heard of David Sedaris, but he seems fairly well established in the literary field as an author and homorist. He does not necessarily write literature, but he is a great story teller. His plots moves at a good pace and then with one sweeping motion the action has moved right passed you. At times, the humor makes you laugh out loud and the subtle twists are impressive. Becareful to not get caught in the trap of making predictions, because you may be disappointed. The stories are not formulaic, nor are the characters.
These short are about the interaction of the characters as Sedaris is satirizing the most undesirable qualities of human nature. The characters, however, are animals. Whether a baboon hair stylist or a squirrel dating a chipmunk, the rules of the animal society still run parallel to our own, and yet somehow still consider the laws of nature. For example, a mouse can have a pet, but if the pet is a baby snake, in time, that mouse better watch out! As one moves through these fables, you begin to realize most of these characters range from mildly unappealing to revolting.
Then there is the question of what makes these shorts fables. There is a lesson at the end of each story, but I think it is the unattractive nature of the characters that make each tale a legitimate fable. As you meander your way through the stories, you will laugh but you will also squirm as the stories turn you to face authentic cruelty and trickery. Just to emphasize the collection’s cynicism, these sorts of events can occurs with our own everyday lives when interacting with colleagues, neighbors and even our own family members. To bring it back to the short stories, most of these wee-beasts lack either the intelligence or the sensativity to truely connect to their fellow beasts. Is that a simple enough lesson for any of us?
If I were a true literary critic, I’d give this book a thumbs up (just joking). It is the perfect beach read! The book is compact, the stories are short and you can reread them and still be mentally satified. Who knows, you may be stuck in the car with your teenager and this may be the perfect way to reconnect. Imagine that?
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