Look Alive Out There: Essays

I enjoyed this collection of charming, intelligent and relatable stories. The author has a voice that reminds me of real life friends I have. Reading these essays is very much like meeting up with your funniest friend at an otherwise boring party and being treated to the latest gossip from her life. A delight which also provokes thought and contemplation on some of the more bizarre points of existence.

Wheels Up - The author recounts her encounter with an amoral woman in a wheel chair who stole her cab and then ran over a dog's tail.

Outside Voices - The author recounts the dramatic saga of her noisy neighbor, a high school boy named Jared. She becomes so obsessed with him that she eventually devises a way to punish him by means of a show more powerful spotlight.

A Dog Named Humphrey - The author recounts the thrilling and embarrassing events surrounding her extremely brief guest appearance on Gossip Girl.

You Someday Lucky - The author recounts an amusing story about a period in her life where all of her friends were into a new personality test. They used it to judge those around them and eventually each other.

If You Take the Canoe Out - The author agrees to house sit for a friend who lives in a remote area of California. This is the prefect location to work on her next book which she does. But when her friend is delayed due to a sudden death, the author gets bored and ends up hanging out with some hippy swinger neighbors. Shenanigans ensue.

The Chupacabra - A brief essay about the author's experience hunting Chupacabra sightings in Vermont.

Up the Down Volcano - The author recounts her attempt to climb a mountain in Ecuador. She was sent their on assignment and would never normally partake in such an activity. Naturally, she is not successful.

The Grape Man - The author recounts memories of a favorite neighbor who lived in her building. He was an avid gardener and a kindly soul who had been in the building for a long time and was a form of guardian. After his death, the author struggles to understand how she ought to mourn and meditates upon the keen isolation of living alone in a big city.

Right Aid - A story that's almost a one-liner about sharing a birthday with a cashier at Rite Aid.

Relative Stranger - Driven by curiosity and family lore, the author interviews a distant relative who was quite successful in the porn industry.

Brace Yourself - While visiting France, the author has an unfortunate misunderstanding with a woman in a neck brace that results in all her neighbors believing her to be a monster.

Immediate Family - The author is pulled into an uncomfortable social situation when she reluctantly decides to sit Shiva for an elderly neighbor she knew in passing. When she arrives, she realizes that the deceased person is the father of a neighbor she has never actually met.

Cinema of the Confined - The author recounts her sudden, debilitating bout with vertigo that concluded in her being diagnosed with a fairly obscure disease. She describes the excruciating isolation and lack of control such an event brings about.

Wolf - The author accidentally let her domain expire and it was bought at auction by a man who ransoms personal domains for a living. She eventually agrees to buy it back but also insists on interviewing him. The result of this interview are predictably unsatisfying. He's a scumbag. A boring, amoral scumbag with delusions of mediocrity.

Our Hour is Up - The author recounts a painful story from her childhood when she set up an advice booth at school. A boy takes time out of his day to call her stupid. Many years later, this boy, now a man, stops her on the street and tries to get her to give his girlfriend advice on writing a book. The results are satisfying.

The Doctor is a Woman - The author recounts a series of unlikely events that lead her to seek the advice of a psychic. This man tells her she will have many children. She doesn't think about children much, but now she can't stop. Not that she wants them, but she's undecided and this uncertainty drives her to pursue freezing her eggs. She describes the process and dwells however briefly upon the emotional experience of it all. show less

I never know if essayists live more interesting lives than most people or if they just write their lives more interestingly. This one is probably a bit of both. Not everyone's cousin is a legendary porn stand-in, or has a bit part on Gossip Girl, but everyone in NYC has noisy neighbors. From these premises Crosley spins funny, profound stories. A David Sedaris comparison is apt. Probably she's less cynical than Sedaris, but no less honest. The humor is more in the language with Crosley.

For me, the least successful piece in the collection was also, unfortunately, the longest. Crosley is assigned a magazine travel piece. She goes to Ecuador and decides to go climb the second tallest volcano in the world even though she has no show more mountaineering experience. It's very "gringa goes south of the border" which is no less offensive of a shtick even if she's aware of the dynamic. More to the point, there are lots of opportunities to not go on the obviously dangerous climb, but she keeps going and gets into a potentially fatal situation. It's a situation with a lot of tragicomic potential, and she wrings every bit out of it. The moment where the life-or-death stakes of the situation become apparent is probably supposed to be harrowing for a reader, but I just had zero sympathy for her because for no good reason other than "I am writing a piece and it would be cool," does she continue on. It's a bad reason to die IMHO.

If you read one essay in the collection, read the last one, which is about Crosley deciding to freeze her eggs. It is an incredible piece of writing. show less

I really like Sloane Crosley. I was really happy to crack this collection of essays open. My favorite of her stories are the ones where life is going along and then just evolves into the absurd or embarrassing. I really can relate to her in those moments. Her writing is crisp - her wit is sharp. I think she is one of my favorite current writers.

If you like Nora Ephron and David Sedaris, then you will love Sloane Crosley. I have read her previous essay books and her novel, but this collection is her best. She has what one reviewer calls" verbal facility" at the highest level. She is laugh out funny but in this collection she deals with more then mundane living in New York issues, but instead deals with health, having children, loneliness, growing older etc. She shows great insight into so many topics. One of her stories is about an adult 2nd cousin "Uncle Johnny" who was a famous porn star in the 70's and 80's and it was both touching and funny. Most of the essays are in the 15-20 page range but she has some 2-3 page ones that are perfect little gems. Humorous essays from good show more writers have a long history and if done well are remarkably entertaining and insightful. Crosley scores on both counts. So far one the best books I have read this year. show less

The essays in Crosley's third cleverly titled collection vary in length but share a sensibility, an observant New York brand of humor and introspection. One story is about a loud and entitled neighbor; another about a kind neighbor with a green thumb; others take place outside of the city, in New England and California and France. The final story, "The Doctor Is A Woman," is about the process of deciding to freeze her eggs.

Quotes

"You don't just stop being who you are when you reach a certain age. You know that, right? You don't magically outgrow yourself. The life you're living now is your actual life, the habits you have now are your actual habits." (From "Relative Stranger," p. 149)

The moment something goes wrong with you that has not show more gone wrong before, it seems at once tragic and temporary. (From "Cinema of the Confined," p. 165) show less

Prior to reading this book of essays, I had never heard of Sloane Crosley. I chose to read it based on the glowing professional reviews. The reader reviews on Amazon were equally positive. I found the writing to be excellent. The essays are Dave Barry funny. My guess is Crosley is considered a writer who appeals more to women than men,and the balance of Amazon reviews supports that. Having said that, I thoroughly enjoyed each essay. It’s a quick one or two sitting read, good especially for reading between longer, more serious books.

Liked this one more than her first. I enjoyed many of the stories here, especially her stint on Gossip Girl and stories of life in NYC. I still zoned out on a lot (I did the audio) but overall this is a fine beach book and very enjoyable.