Leni Zumas's writing crackles. Her books are sharp, bleak, funny, and possibly dangerous. When her collection of short stories, Farewell Navigator,...
Continue »
James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces takes the reader on a journey through the author’s six week stay at a rehabilitation center. It is published as a nonfiction memoir and is intended for an audience that is interested in addiction. Although there has been great controversy surrounding this book, Frey’s use of structure and language creates a very believable and captivating story which leads me to look past any fabrication.
The validity of the plot is what has come into question following the release of the novel. The story begins with Frey on a plane with extensive damage to his face and in complete confusion. “My front four teeth are gone, I have a hole in my cheek, my nose is broken, and my eyes are swollen nearly shut” (1). His incredible addiction to alcohol lands him on his way to a rehabilitation facility in Minnesota. After getting dropped off by his parents, the novel continues with Frey’s six week stay in rehab and the daily fight against the uneven odds of remaining sober. He encounters many obstacles along with the overwhelming need to use drugs. His constant sickness concentrates most of his time at the beginning of his stay, along with reconstructive mouth surgery. He meets many people throughout his time in rehab, including Leonard, a mobster and also James’ mentor. Lilly, a broken, young girl catches Frey’s attention and sparks a romance throughout the book. However, their romance is forbidden by the center’s policies. James explains this rebellion to his parents, “There are a lot of Rules here. I try to follow most of them, but this Girl, her name is Lilly, has been good for me” (288). Frey also goes against other rules throughout the book- for example, veering away from the twelve steps. James sees self reliance as the only way to fully accomplish sobriety. The book continues with various bumps in the road including Lilly’s short lived escape from the center and a rough week with his parents in the Family Program. All in all, James’ sobriety remains true throughout the book and he leaves a free and sober man.
The controversy involving the plot of Frey’s story began when it was featured in Oprah’s Book Club in 2006. The book was featured as its original intent- a memoir. However, The Smoking Gun ran an investigation and started questioning the validity of just about everything from his convictions to the extent of his drug and alcohol abuse. James Frey admits that some facts might be slightly fabricated, but overall stands by his writing as the truth.
Aside from questioned validity, Frey’s use of language and structure paints a clear and painfully real picture of the struggles of addiction. Without looking at this book as a memoir, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Frey uses minimal punctuation throughout the story. It is basically a run on pool of words. I think this creates for a closer look inside Frey’s mind and makes the reader feel like they are experiencing the book right along with him. His style is very descriptive and although the plot’s credibility is questioned, the author does an amazing job of sucking the reader in and immersing them in the setting, the characters, and his own mind. The one plot point that was not very convincing is when Frey went to the dentist. It is not very believable that a licensed dentist would perform surgery without any sort of medical aid to dull the pain. However, the rest of the book is very believable. I dove into the book assuming it was fiction, yet became more and more convinced that it was nonfiction as the story went on due to Frey’s simple, conversational style of writing.
Overall, James Frey’s controversial book A Million Little Pieces has captivated my attention even after a massive controversy. The author’s use of language and structure create a very believable and interesting story. Even after it has been highly criticized, I still definitely recommend this book to other readers.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
Don't Miss
Customer Comments
acbeeman has commented on (1) product.
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
acbeeman, May 3, 2010
James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces takes the reader on a journey through the author’s six week stay at a rehabilitation center. It is published as a nonfiction memoir and is intended for an audience that is interested in addiction. Although there has been great controversy surrounding this book, Frey’s use of structure and language creates a very believable and captivating story which leads me to look past any fabrication.The validity of the plot is what has come into question following the release of the novel. The story begins with Frey on a plane with extensive damage to his face and in complete confusion. “My front four teeth are gone, I have a hole in my cheek, my nose is broken, and my eyes are swollen nearly shut” (1). His incredible addiction to alcohol lands him on his way to a rehabilitation facility in Minnesota. After getting dropped off by his parents, the novel continues with Frey’s six week stay in rehab and the daily fight against the uneven odds of remaining sober. He encounters many obstacles along with the overwhelming need to use drugs. His constant sickness concentrates most of his time at the beginning of his stay, along with reconstructive mouth surgery. He meets many people throughout his time in rehab, including Leonard, a mobster and also James’ mentor. Lilly, a broken, young girl catches Frey’s attention and sparks a romance throughout the book. However, their romance is forbidden by the center’s policies. James explains this rebellion to his parents, “There are a lot of Rules here. I try to follow most of them, but this Girl, her name is Lilly, has been good for me” (288). Frey also goes against other rules throughout the book- for example, veering away from the twelve steps. James sees self reliance as the only way to fully accomplish sobriety. The book continues with various bumps in the road including Lilly’s short lived escape from the center and a rough week with his parents in the Family Program. All in all, James’ sobriety remains true throughout the book and he leaves a free and sober man.
The controversy involving the plot of Frey’s story began when it was featured in Oprah’s Book Club in 2006. The book was featured as its original intent- a memoir. However, The Smoking Gun ran an investigation and started questioning the validity of just about everything from his convictions to the extent of his drug and alcohol abuse. James Frey admits that some facts might be slightly fabricated, but overall stands by his writing as the truth.
Aside from questioned validity, Frey’s use of language and structure paints a clear and painfully real picture of the struggles of addiction. Without looking at this book as a memoir, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Frey uses minimal punctuation throughout the story. It is basically a run on pool of words. I think this creates for a closer look inside Frey’s mind and makes the reader feel like they are experiencing the book right along with him. His style is very descriptive and although the plot’s credibility is questioned, the author does an amazing job of sucking the reader in and immersing them in the setting, the characters, and his own mind. The one plot point that was not very convincing is when Frey went to the dentist. It is not very believable that a licensed dentist would perform surgery without any sort of medical aid to dull the pain. However, the rest of the book is very believable. I dove into the book assuming it was fiction, yet became more and more convinced that it was nonfiction as the story went on due to Frey’s simple, conversational style of writing.
Overall, James Frey’s controversial book A Million Little Pieces has captivated my attention even after a massive controversy. The author’s use of language and structure create a very believable and interesting story. Even after it has been highly criticized, I still definitely recommend this book to other readers.