The Frey Flap

I watched James Frey on the Larry King Show last night. Poor guy, he looked pretty rough, and not terribly articulate. Mind you, his written persona came across as so forceful and self posessed, even in his misery, it's not surprising to find him less forceful in person.

I'm still amazed that A Million Little Pieces made it to the top of the NYTimes bestsellers list. I devoured it, of course, read it in a couple of nights, and I know many of my friends in 12 step circles were at least interested in it, even if they didn't read it. We all want to know how someone else made it out, checking their story for the breadcrumb trail, seeing how they survived. But who else bought it? Is his writing that good, or are there that many people who are concerned or affected by addiction?

I'm not surprised there were embellishments. The book was just too slick, it read like a novel. I plowed through his sequel, My Friend Leonard, over about 4 afternoons in a bookstore cafe. It too was dramatic and polished and at times moving, and I wondered how much of it had really happened.

I did find some affirmation in his story of survival, but there are so many of those, from authors like Elizabeth Wurtzel and Frances Kuffel, Caroline Knapp, Susan Cheever, and all those people who contributed to the Alcoholics Anonymous "Big Book". I read them from time to time to get some more support, just like I read artist biographies, or maybe more tellingly, I consume them.

Does it matter how much spiritual nutrition is in his book? Or maybe like a tasty dessert, it's fine on occasion, but not at the expense of eating your veggies.