a million little pieces by james frey
I’ve read a few books like this not many and occasionally it’s seemed to be a design decision rather than a writing decision the reasoning more to do with being clever or arty or whatever but for this book it feels right correct spot on and definitely matches the mood and content of the book. The only other book which has unusual prose that I consider is valid for the style of the book is American Tabloid and whilst I wouldn’t place this book in the same league as anything by James Ellroy it is still an excellent read.
On it goes like this page after page after page and soon you don’t notice and it’s just the way it is after a few pages it’s nothing new at all it feels right even though you know it’s wrong.
At times it’s hard to read so much detail the thoughts hammering hammering hammering into your head, the pain and suffering feeling more real as you match the stream of consciousness style prose skipping your brain along in time helping you empathise with the character. There are some gruesome moments moments to laugh at moments to cry at and it’s all real Yes it’s all real every word this is not a novel this is an autobiography and as that realisation hits you it becomes all the more powerful more effecting affecting real real real.
If you can get past the way it’s written the story of a recovering addict a man seriously close to losing everything family friends and life itself then you’ll be easily drawn in rivetted repulsed and engrossed in this gruesome disgusting heartwarming and uplifting story.
More information from the author himself.
UPDATE: You can read an excerpt of the book here which gives an idea of what it’s like.
And re-reading it, my review completely fails to capture just how involving and affecting it was to read this book. But then it’d take a lot longer to capture WHY that is than I have time for at the moment.