Book Review: a million little pieces by James Frey

Synopsis from Goodreads

Title: a million little pieces

Author: James Frey

Publication date: December 3rd, 2007 / Original April 15th, 2003

Publisher: John Murray

The electrifying opening of James Frey's debut memoir, A Million Little Pieces, smash-cuts to the then 23-year-old author on a Chicago-bound plane "covered with a colorful mixture of spit, snot, urine, vomit and blood." Wanted by authorities in three states, without ID or any money, his face mangled and missing four front teeth, Frey is on a steep descent from a dark marathon of drug abuse. His stunned family checks him into a famed Minnesota drug treatment center where a doctor promises "he will be dead within a few days" if he starts to use again, and where Frey spends two agonizing months of detox confronting "The Fury" head on

My Review



A disturbing yet a brilliant read. I know that these two words contradict each other, but they’re true. The book started with a bang in which James Frey explicitly explains about his state in an airplane which was honestly gory and disgusting; it did not stop there though .

It was my first time reading a memoir of a person who used to be a drug addict, so most of the things in the book were shocking. The book contained disturbing graphical images, which made it an extreme read. However, it truly depicts the life of an addict, and what hardships he or she goes through trying to get clean. Also, a million little pieces contained a lot of mixed emotions: anger, sadness, disgust, love, lust, sympathy, and happiness.

It was interesting to read about Frey’s time at the Treatment Center. I was able to witness his dramatic transformation along the story. Seeing how his reactions, beliefs, and thoughts change and improve while he starts to open his eyes and learn about life all over again was captivating. The story was touching and sad as well as inspirational and vital.

I definitely enjoyed reading about the different characters in the book, especially Leonard (Frey’s best friend at the center), Lilly (a girl he likes at the center) and Miles (a judge as well as Frey’s roommate at the center). It was nice knowing about them and learning about how hard their life had been.

What I did not enjoy about the book though, was that Frey kept repeating some stuff over and over again. I know that it was his way of writing in which he was trying to make the book more meaningful and intense, but the repetition was a little bit overwhelming. Also, at the beginning, the book was a bit confusing because there were no quotations, so it got hard when there were conversations. I guess the style of writing was new to me, so it took me quite a while to get used to it; however, overall, the book still captured me; it was brilliant.

I know that there are issues about the truthfulness about the memoir which made it a controversial topic. Nevertheless, it did not bother me at all because the book still had many things to teach. I believe that a million little pieces can be a good guide to help many people with addiction.

4/5

Xoxo Meera