After a month of reading nothing but the fantasy Darkover novels, I decided to put them down and take a break. I am sure I will eventually track down the ones that I am still missing (WorldWreckers, Darkover Landfall, The Heirs of Hammerfeld ….) but I realized that the names were starting to blend into each other and I was just flipping the pages and skimming them just so I can get to the end.
So I picked up “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey which has been sitting on the bookshelf for quite some while. Its been 4 or 5 days and I just can’t put the book down. It often has me on the verge of tears (which looks rather strange when you are sitting on a subway) and once again I find myself skimming pages so I can get to the end and find out what happens next.
I am aware of the controversy around the book. He lied , its all lies (well not all of it but perhaps alot of it) But despite all that, I find it to be a great book. I have wondered about what goes on in an addict’s mind. Why do they do the things they do regardless of all that they have to lose. Logically I understand that they can’t help themselves and its a ‘disease’ that drives them…but truthfully? I don’t understand it at all. I can’t even come close to understanding how someone can lose everything…lose absolutely everything and everyone to chase ‘that ultimate high.’ This book comes as close as i have been to understanding how and why. And I think that is an accomplishment that is no small thng. To communicate so clearly what it must feel like to be a recovering addict is an admirable feat in itself.
So even if James frey is not a Criminal, so even if he is not as big an Addict as he makes himself out to be, I’m glad he wrote that book. I wonder how addicts or recovering addicts respond to his book? (Not the ‘REAL’ authors who call the book drivel and sh#t) I wonder if they feel that they have found a friend or perhaps they feel like he said he did when a big rockstar got on stage at Hazeldon and lied about how much drugs he did?
I suppose I shall have to hunt down his other two books and figure out if he just got lucky, is a one book wonder and if there really is anything to James Frey. Perhaps I am just a sentimental woman and should go back to reading feminist fantasy/sci-fi novels.
Tina in Training 