The introduction of a foul-mouthed brother and other unconventional family responses to mourning mitigates with humor some of the solemnness of the author’s subjects of death and grief. He also reveals the loss of his mother and several beloved pets in the family. With humor, Sedaris discusses his errors as a young artist as well as his encounters with grief. Later in Part One, the author reveals some of the struggles in his early artistic career, including his drug addiction alongside the ups and downs of his visual arts practice. These chapters also contrast Sedaris’s creative imagination with his father’s more scientific approach to life. This sets the stage for future challenges to authority, especially as his sexuality eventually becomes an issue for those around him such as his homophobic music teacher. In response to a persistent speech therapist, Sedaris concocts a spy fantasy to situate his struggles in overcoming his speech impediment. They explore the early beginnings of his fantasy life, which allows him to make sense of other people’s responses to his speech impediment and sexuality. The first three chapters of the book take place at different points in Sedaris’s childhood.
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