Happy-Go-Lucky is a collection of essays by humorist David Sedaris. It includes musings about travel, friends, family, long term relationships, death and the strange year we all had in 2020. 

Like all this other writings Happy-Go-Lucky is laugh out loud funny with twinges of grief and pain underneath. David reminisces about his father leading up to his death at ninety-eight, people he’s met on the road, his long term relationship with Hugh and his siblings. 

The chapter that was probably the most difficult for me was “Bruises”. It’s about a twelve year old French boy with a crush on forty-one year old David. It felt uncomfortable and I was embarrassed for this child and I wish it wasn’t included. Equally uncomfortable is “Lady Marmalade” where David remembers some of the inappropriate interactions that he and his siblings had with his father over the years culminating in his late sister Tiffany’s allegations of abuse. 

With the exception of the two chapters I mentioned I enjoyed Happy-Go-Lucky and look forward to more from David Sedaris.