Would you use water from the vase to make your morning coffee? Sedaris would, bleh. Photo: Queerbubbles/Wiki.
This was the story I was waiting for in this book. Like “Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa” from Me Talk Pretty One Day I so wanted this story to be about Sedaris’ partner, Hugh. And it is, as much as any story is really about Hugh at all.
I’m not sure exactly why I’m more fascinated with Hugh than Sedaris himself. Perhaps he makes Hugh sound like a peaceful mosh of conflicting traits. How about I give you the gist of the story and you can see if you agree with me.
Gist of the Story
Hugh is everything opposite to Sedaris, it seems. Hugh is an early riser, a flower bouquet picker, an industrious guy who’ll wash laundry in the river if need be. Sedaris, as explained by his slothfulness in “It’s Catching”, the first essay in this book, just isn’t. Sedaris and Hugh are living in Normandy at the moment, a place where the water is shut off without warning. And, it seems, always when Sedaris is getting out of bed, which, he explains, is generally 10 – 10:30 a.m. No shower, no morning coffee.
No morning coffee?
Well, it seems Sedaris has some resourcefulness in him after all as he grabs the vase to pour the water into the coffee maker.
There, of course, is a ton (meaning 2 or 3 pages) of in between stuff here. This is what Sedaris is really getting at. He recalls a time when he went with his brother to go buy pot as some guy’s house and, Sedaris style, they end up having a conversation that is almost too unbelievable to be true. Truth is, I believe it. The other truth is, I think Sedaris goes out of his way to get himself into these situations. At any rate, the talk turns to Sedaris being gay and who, between him and Hugh, is the man in the relationship.
I’m glad Sedaris questioned it and not me. Although, I’ve never really wondered about Sedaris and Hugh, specifically, sometimes homosexual relationships do seem to take on that traditionally guy/girl paradigm. I didn’t invent it; I’m just pointing it out. And, may I add, it doesn’t seem to be true of all gay relationships.
And it may not seem that way to Sedaris, either, as he never really answers the question.
Well, not really.
See what you think.
First Lines, Last Words
In Paris they warn you before cutting off the water, but out in Normandy you’re just supposed to know.
There’d be hell to pay when my man got home, but at least by then I would be awake and able to argue, perhaps convincingly, that I am all the beauty he will ever need.
Book Rating
When You are Engulfed in Flames will be rated on wholly, instead of breaking it down story by story, as I’m doing here. See my book ratings chart for more information.
My name is Britty and I'm chief bottle-washer at this site. I'm a book-lover, student and freelance writer when I'm not being a mom of three and wife of one.
