James Frey's comeback
James Frey was last seen in 2006 squirming on Oprah's couch after acknowledging that he had made up large parts of his memoir, A Million Little Pieces. Now, he's back with a work of fiction (quick learner, eh?) and is all over the media touting Bright Shiny Morning.
Reviews range from admiring to scathing. The New York Times said he "stepped up to the plate and hit one out of the park." In a profile, Vanity Fair called the book "satirical, tense, and surprisingly touching," but said it was at times scattered. The Los Angeles Times was blunt, calling it a "literary train wreck without even the good grace to be entertaining."
Whatever. Even if every critic in America loved the book, I wouldn't read it. I've seen too many journalists and newspapers devastated by fabrications (Jayson Blair and the New York Times, Janet Cooke and the Washington Post) to give Frey a pass so soon. Two years off the lecture circuit, followed by a book release -- that seems more like probation than punishment. Yes, the guy deserves a second chance, and yes, he seems to have the talent to do great things.
But others will have to tell me about them.
Comments
Thank you! I agree. He lost the public's trust and his own dignity as an author and now we reward him by purchasing his books and making him millions. Not me.
Posted by: JC | May 14, 2008 11:37 AM
Slight (or substantial) dishonesty about the truth or fiction of an account does not really have any relevance to the skill with which a story is told, or how compelling it is to readers. Frankly, if' I'm reading a good story, I don't care whether it's true or not.
Perhaps because I'm from the South, where everyone elaborately embellishes "true" stories to great effect and entertainment, I was willing to give him a pass the first time around. Everyone makes mistakes, and he obviously has talent. I will read the new book because he has talent, and I like reading good stuff.
BTW, I notice you compare his past transgressions to those of newspaper reporters. I'm not sure that's the same thing. Memoir is part fiction anyway. No one writing a memoir is going to get things entirely right or accurate looking back, our minds just don't work that way. I don't think anyone expects a memoir to be anywhere near as accurate (or as "objective") as a newspaper story.
Posted by: LJ | May 14, 2008 10:07 PM