A Million Little Pieces

James Frey produced one of the best nonfiction novels I have found so far. That is, until I did more research within this week and discovered that some of the accounts in the book are entirely untrue.

James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, wrote about his account in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center over the course of six weeks. In this account, he is found on a plane with no memory of how he got there, along with a gaping whole through his cheek and missing teeth. The story continues with his parents picking him up and driving him to the center in Minnesota, claiming to be the best in the US. He is confronted with many obstacles within the center, such as “being treated for a dental surgery with no painkillers” that was later found to be untrue. His story that unfolds within the treatment center is also slanted to heighten the intensity of his account, and it is not actually known whether or not his former girlfriend for whom he is in his situation for actually committed suicide.

James Frey had a beautiful way of capturing the audiences with certain subtleties within this piece. His underlying theme dealing with not being able to look himself in the eyes really drove me to continue on the journey through his rehabilitation. Also, his need and action was strong within every line and phrase. Frey created a quick-paced world in which to live in, one that felt to me as if he were spending his whole life looking out of a car window.

Frey’s theme of eyes continues with his love interest and friend that was also in rehabilitation at the time. He calls her eyes oceans and ice and many other cold blue analogies, and says they pierce him when he sees her.

My favorite idea within this piece was that of Frey’s commitment to everything he did. He was lower at the beginning of the book than I believed possible, and he is a bestseller now. The last few chapters of the book talk of him, immediately leaving rehab, going inside of a bar and ordering a type of hard liquor, then just looking at it. He never drinks it, and walks out of the bar a man with a decision that changed his life for the better.

Frey inspired me in this piece, whether embellished or not, to commit to things that are good for me, and to not apologize for the work that it takes to get to a good place in life. He is a very influential person to me because of this piece, I only wish he had kept the story entirely authentic.

(I very much so recommend reading A Million Little Pieces.)

Author: Katherine Westbrook

Kate. Too cool for school.