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a million little pieces by james frey
1/4/2006 @ 6:14:49 PM | 1100 days ago | permanent link | posted in book | 5 comments
 This is a nice way to start off the year, the best book I've read in a while
James Frey (2003) - 4/5 "There's nothing you can do. Why? It can't be fixed. Why? It's broken beyond repair. It's in a million pieces"
It's hard to believe how far gone James Frey was in his abuse of drugs and alcohol when he checked himself into rehab at age 23. His six weeks there are gut wrenching, graphic but most important, felt authentic. The book opens on a real grabber as James describes his busted face laid down on a plane to Minnesota
Rehab as described in the book sounds a lot like jail. I mean people can leave and get kicked out but you lose your freedom and you're told what to do. All the "programming" (lectures) seems trite
The stuff at the dentist's office was sick, I felt ill reading about the root canal and the other procedures without anesthesia. In passing there's a blurb about Babar the elephant which is surprising he's not very prevalent in America (author is French, like moi). Another similar passage about his toenail is equally gruesome
James throughout the novel is looking for his own eyes in the mirror, for a glimpse of his desire to live, his humanity. He finds a lot at the treatment center, a close camaraderie with other dysfunctional patients and love (he sure wasn't looking) with a young vulnerable addict named Lilly. I expect things to turn ugly for them, I don't know why. Little vignettes reveal how things went terribly wrong with James' last girlfriend (with "arctic eyes") which sent him on his latest "binge". I wonder why James never names the girl with arctic eyes, it makes her so distant, mysterious. It's all as well since it's in the past and he needs to get her out of his system
One of my favorite part has James telling his parents for the first time about his addiction and crimes. It's so matter of factly, without bragging. He also explains the "Fury" within him.
The scene at the old building where he went in to find Lilly is gully, breathtaking. It scared me. James is really a prince for rescuing the girl, I know it's out of love and so noble but I was surprised all the same
I wasn't really feeling the quotes from the Tao book, too zen. It was confusing stated out of order. I liked that it worked for James but self help books are weak. I guess this book is a form of self help, for the author, for people going through something similar, or just to help pass the time (reader). It helps. It's great
The confession at the very end of the book was okay, expanding a bit on what he already told his parents. That part with the priest in Paris felt too "orchestrated" though
In the end, the recovery is a bit miraculous, a real fit of strength and will, I wish it was harder because it seems relatively doable. I'm ambiguous about the recovery aspect of the book. Sure I root for James to do better but like him, I'm skeptical of the Twelve Steps and I quite agree with his views on how people are substituting an addiction (drugs) for another (meetings, God). I suppose the psychologist Joanne has a point that one is harmful whereas the other one isn't
The writing style is very natural, it's real. Repetitious (reminds me a bit of Didion that I read recently). It's probably not very "proper" but that's okay. It's engaging, like a conversation
I'm not sure I understand the capitalization throughout the book (the Room, the House), it's a bit unsettling. Otherwise the book has a good flow, the pages turn easily (a lot of dialogue helps). It is told in James' voice, mixing narration and dialogue. There's a lack of punctuation (quotation marks) around the dialogue which forces the reader to deduct who's speaking but it works in general. At first I thought it might be for aesthetic reasons but there's actually a bit of work on the typeset for when people yell (all caps, size increase, change of font with bold)
The epilogue is brutal, a sharp shot of reality to end this tale. Of the 12 familiar names in the story, only 3 made it on the outside. That's actually more than the 15% statistics for recovery from this program (the "best in the world")
On the whole, the novel is a real treat, easy to read (448 pages finished in 3 days, more than half the book on first day), really made me care about the characters. It sports a very recognizable cover designed by Rodrigo Corral (impressive jacket credits), photo by Fredrik Broden. The novel was first published in 2003 but really found an audience when it became a selection of the Oprah book club as a paperback in 2005 (the sales that year were only 2nd to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
I promptly ordered Frey's follow up called "My Friend Leonard" which came out in 2005 (the shipping on Amazon lists 1-3 weeks, what gives)
Casting call
Here are the people I imagined while reading the book. "A Million Little Pieces" was actually optioned for a movie, Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo) is attached to direct
  
Clarence Thomas as Miles, Dog the bounty hunter as Lincoln and someone like Danny DeVito as Leonard (I know, he's supposed to look like Gene Hackman)
 
James Frey as himself? Actually I pictured someone younger, with more hair, and real skinny.. maybe DiCaprio? I really liked him in Catch Me If You Can and Aviator
Update - Controversy (thanks to commenter Joel for the heads up)
On January 8 2006, the Smoking Gun published an expose that proves the author largely exaggerated his run-in with the law, the point of contention was one of the highlight of the novel with Frey running running over a police officer in Ohio and subsequent charges of Incitement to Riot just to name one
The media barrage of questions that ensued really shook up the budding author.
James Frey's A Million Little Pieces fiction? (Kottke) - basic information
He Wrote What They Wanted (New York Sun) - we shouldn't be surprised because Frey used so many cliches, deplores publishing industry on rise of non-fiction memoir as is a cop out for unimaginative writing
Readers offered refund for controversial memoir (Washington Post) - Report of his publisher offered to refund unstatisfied customers, later said to be unfounded on No refund on Frey memoir (MSNBC)
More: 'Million Little Pieces' called a fraud (CNN), , Best-Selling Memoir Draws Scrutiny (New York Times), James Frey to appear on 'Larry King Live' (USA Today), A Million Little Corrections (New York Times)
Frey granted his first interview on Larry King Live Jan 11 (transcript of the show). He essentially fesses up to embellishing what is now obviously called a memoir, he stresses that only 18 pages out of 432 (5%) are disputed but the idea is what else is pure invention? Frey contends that his book is not about his crimes but about recovery. Oprah has called in to support the writer and her choice for he book club. The backlash has been tremendous
I recently read an article on JT Leroy, an author that's been fabricated by a bored couple, there was one resonating quote It is unclear what effect the unmasking of Ms. Knoop will have on JT Leroy's readers, who are now faced with the question of whether they have been responding to the books published under that name, or to the story behind them. For one thing, there are speculation that this scandal will keep a-list actors from the movie adaptation. There is so much talk about the work being non-fiction vs fiction. To me the book always read as a story and I myself wrongly put this in the fiction category. I mean it's not like you're reading Thomas Friedman on socioeconomic issues. I think the element of truth and mystique that surrounded the work definitely suffers from the new revelations, I wish it was left alone because no matter how good the book is, it is forever tainted
"A Million Little Pieces" publisher Double Day will print new editions of the book with a note about how events were changed in the "memoir"
Frey's under contract to publish 2 more novels with Riverhead (of the Penguin Group) and he said he would not write about his personal life
On Jan 26, Oprah reversed her position of support to Frey saying "betrayed millions of readers" by making up elements of his life in his best-selling memoir More Winfrey whoopin on Jan 27, Oprah confronted Frey on her own show, she was very disappointed in the publishing industry for not doing due diligence in general on works such as Frey's. On the author's contract with Riverhead, the publisher now says "The ground has shifted. It's under discussion"
Subsquent printing of the novel will now carry the notice "a number of facts have been altered and incidents embellished"
Track James Frey's trouble on my del.icio.us
Links
- reviews - A Million Little Pieces
- blog post 1/16/2006 - My Friend Leonard by James Frey
Comments I got this book for xmas. It was on my wish-list. I'm still reading The Kite Runner, but I can't wait to crack this open. Wish I could read as much as you do. celeste on 1/16/2006 12:40:05 PM, 1089 days ago I read this book over xmas. It was pretty good and a quick read. He has another book out i want to read. Its called My friend Lenoard. It is about his relationship with Lenoard.
ben on 1/23/2006 10:37:33 AM, 1082 days ago hey ben my friend leonard kinda sucked compared to this one daniel on 1/23/2006 2:27:07 PM, 1082 days ago this book is awesome my mom got it for me to teach me somrthings and it really helped karla homola on 2/9/2006 12:54:23 PM, 1065 days ago the controversy kinda ruined it for me, but it was enjoyable when i read it (before i found out all this) daniel on 2/9/2006 3:27:24 PM, 1065 days ago
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