This is the fourth book by the author and like all humorists/memoir writers, he has a tendency to revisit certain themes as building blocks for his stories.
- American activities are weird to Australians and ripe for mocking.
- Australians are weird and ripe for mocking.
- Horrible tales of child neglect can be hilarious if told the right way.
I like to keep light, amusing books like these on-hand for when slogging through a novel that has heavier themes. Sometimes I just want the literary equivalent of jelly beans. The essays in this book are candy coated delights that should be consumed with a nice microbrew at the end of a long and stressful week. While the actual essays are somewhat forgettable, Thorne’s writing elicited a few deep belly laughs from me and more than one embarrassing snort of laughter. This book is best parceled out over time instead of read in one sitting. After a while some of the jokes start to feel stale, so it’s best to put it down and pick it up a few days later so you can appreciate the humor.