(2003)Genre: Memoir/Fiction
Synopsis: "A Million Little Pieces is a controversial memoir by James Frey. It tells the story of a 23-year-old alcoholic and drug abuser and how he copes with rehabilitation in a Twelve Steps-oriented treatment center."
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Review: This book had been recommended to me by a friend, and I read it not knowing the controversy surrounding it regarding the truth of its content. (This book is controversial because it was released as an entirely factual memoir, and it was later discovered (and admitted by Frey) that ‘key portions’ of the content had been edited or fabricated.) I ended up reading the first half thinking it was true, and the second half thinking none of it was true, despite the claim that only ‘some’ areas were fabricated. However, while the truth-value of a story can add to or take away from it, I feel any reader should be able to take account of a story independent of its relation to actual events. As such, the fact that Frey fabricated some of his book didn’t alter my perception of the story; it did however alter my perception of him personally and his motives in writing it. True or not, it is a powerful read, and the fact that the author felt the need to add to his own story or as he noted 'to big himself up a bit' actually undermines the story more than anything. However, I enjoyed the tale he had to tell both as true or as untrue - I would certainly not suggest potential fictional elements should put anyone off it. After all, chances are each element in it is a factual experience had by somebody, somewhere.
The writing style of the book is an important factor. It is a well written book. It brings the reader into the world of an addict in so credible a way that its unsurprising people thought it was all entirely true. It uses a unique format, in that it lacks speech punctuation. This draws the reader directly into - and never beyond - the mind of the writer, but it can be slightly confusing to read until you get used to it – in a way similar to that of “Angela’s Ashes.” Writing style involves not just the story, but the specific presentation of the story and I feel in this area Frey’s desire to stand out shows a bit too much. Knowing his intentions involved those of making himself seem a bit tougher than he actually was, its hard not to think of any unique elements as included for the purpose of attaining some level of originality. Again, I think this sort of writing style was entirely unnecessary and as such tried not to let it interfere with my view of the story, as it would only have lost it marks.
Overall I think that Frey attempted to make his story stand out among the legions of other memoirs out there. Unfortunately, good as this book is for a once-through, even had it been entirely true it still wouldn’t have been compelling enough to outweigh its peers.
Rating: 3/5
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