I'm a huge Sedaris fan, so I was definitely curious about this new book since it's his first entire book of fiction. That said, it's not too far off from his previous works. The same wit is certainly there, the same dark humor. And the animals in these short stories interact much in the same way that the humans in his other books interact. None are perfect, some are certainly redeemable, and others are completely loathsome. While the animals are given human-like personalities, they behave still in animal ways. They still eat what animals eat, do what animals do, but interact in a way that is humanish. It isn't the kind of fiction where they're dressed up in clothes, and it isn't the kind of fiction you'd be wanting to read to a kid before bed (or at all), but it's very entertaining.
Along with the short stories, there are illustrations by Ian Falconer, which are far from his Olivia illustrations. They match Sedaris' humor-- funny, yet dark, and often either morbid or repulsive.
Personally, I thought this book was a lot of dark fun and I enjoyed it very much. It's easy to read in just a day since it's large type, but I spread it out into a few because I didn't want to rush through and devour it quickly as is my normal habit. For anyone who likes Sedaris, they will not be disappointed.
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