Summary

In “Pearls,” at a garden party in West Sussex in July, a woman complains to Sedaris about her “two sons in their early twenties” (153). When she asks if Sedaris has children, he says no, but that his boyfriend is 21 and also has behavioral problems. Sedaris loves telling lies about Hugh. He likes seeing how others react.

Amy frequently tells Sedaris about his and Hugh’s signs, wondering about their compatibility. Sedaris thinks the information is irrelevant (155).

Sedaris’s mother had been “interested in astrology” (155). While she loved the horoscope section of the Ladies’ Home Journal, Sedaris loved the “Can This Marriage Be Saved? section (156). Sedaris has thought about the section “a lot lately,” comparing the “marital problems in the seventies and eighties” to those of today (156). Sedaris often feels confused why people’s marriages and partnerships fail, disbelieving in ending a...