A Million Little Pieces  by James Frey

Reviewed by Gerti

I remember a few years ago when Oprah still had a show on broadcast TV that she was busy picking novels to be part of her book club. This novel, “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey, was one that she chose. People raved about it and its author, so when it was revealed that he had made up parts of it (which should be expected in a work of fiction, no?) he was vilified.

So when I saw it on the book sale shelf at the library, many years after all the hubbub, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. What I found was that any sensible person reading this book could see that elements of it were fictional. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that it is a riveting work, if a bit too long.

The main character is supposed to be James, who as a relatively young man has become addicted to a great many things. So when he wakes up in an airplane and doesn’t remember how he got there, or where he’s going, or how he’s gotten so physically wrecked, it comes as no surprise. His wealthy but often absent parents decide to take him to the best treatment center in the country, which is in the middle of nowhere. James has no clothes with him, or anything else, so generous souls give him a winter coat and some clothes and books. But basically, he’s at this treatment center on his own with no resources.

He makes friends, he makes enemies, he is a good doobie, he is a bad ass. James basically does whatever he feels is right at the moment. He isn’t much of a rule follower, but has a deep sense of ethics, and a fascinating story to tell his counselors. He totally dismisses the 12 steps process that Alcoholics Anonymous uses, and thinks the reliance on a superior power, for him, is foolish. However, he finally finds a text called Tao Te Ching to which he does relate, and that helps him sober up to the point where his parents can come to the center and the family can find out where James’ life and their relationship went south.

This is a fascinating book for anyone, no matter what weaknesses they have as human beings, as it ostensibly gives some insight into the lives of people who have let their weaknesses totally control them. But the question of addiction is larger than James’ desire for alcohol and drugs. “A Million Little Pieces” is a story about friends, enemies, co-workers, counselors and freaks – in short, everyone. It shows the evil that people do to themselves when they don’t care about the outcome, and the evil that even good-intentioned people do. Frey’s writing is brilliant, almost a new style of literature, and I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in addiction, self-abuse, broken families and ultimately, the human condition itself. A great read.