In this collection of 22 essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of the seemingly ordinary family life he grew up in—playing in the snow, going on vacation, attending a wedding, giving directions, getting his blood sugar tested—to reveal the absurdity teeming below its surface. It is a world alive with obscure desires and hidden motives, where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. With this more reflective collection, Sedaris moves into the realm of the full-fledged memoirist.