A Million Little Pieces
(James Frey)
James Frey follows his own journey as a 23-year old man from admission to discharge at a drug rehabilitation clinic. The book certainly gives a graphic account of the grimness of the life of an addict. We are taken into the world of other people?s suffering and tragedy as they struggle to beat a condition that, unconquered, means self-torture and death. It shows addiction as a terrifying prison, from which few inmates ever emerge, and is written in a tough, no-holds-barred manner. James Frey portrays himself as an almost destroyed young man with a strong, rebellious spirit and a determination not to be saved by anyone except himself. He is taken to the clinic by his parents and develops a clandestine relationship with a young woman whom he subsequently falls in love with. The relationship sustains him through his ordeal but is almost his downfall.
The writing is measured, punchy and masterful. Frey writes in a way that attempts to mimic experience, namely the bare-bones physical and emotional world of someone recovering from addiction, and he relies on repetition and mundane detail in order to achieve this. We meet a series of characters along the way but they lack detail and any real substance, seen through the eyes of withdrawal and self-obsession.
Although the bland repetitive style is used on purpose, it does become more than tiresome by the end of the novel. There is lack of humour and colour that, although intentional, had a tendency to bore me witless. In the face of suffering there should always be some humor ? it naturally spawns humor, however crooked and black.
I think that the book simply fails to redeem itself at the end ? the author leaves the story with nothing but his own resolve to pass on to his readers: ?I am tough, I am special and I beat crack and alcohol without resorting to God and almost nobody else in the world can do that.? Because of this, the main way that the reader can relate to the book is as (admiring? fascinated?) voyeur. The question becomes ?Why was this book written and who is it for?? There is no clear purpose and, I believe, its merits are arguable.
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