Book Review: Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey

Yes, THAT James Frey; the man skewered on national television by Oprah for embellishing his memoir, 'A Million Little Pieces'. I believe he was unfairly crucified and I knew while reading the book that it was fictionalized in certain spots and altered in others, I don't know how anyone could not know, frankly. When you read non-fiction you're still responsible for what you chose to believe as truth and just because a book is classified as a memoir, does not mean literary license is suspended; you still have to think for yourself.

Story telling is about the truth at the heart of the story, not about the minute facts of an event. Cold and tangible date is what scientific and medical journals are for but, the act of consuming art is that act of going on an internal journey to self.

I digress; back to the original book review and this extraordinary story that takes a slice of gritty Americana and dissects the American dream in the make believe world of Hollywood; dozens of stories are told but, we're only expected to follow the plot of four storylines to fruition and you will go along willingly and with great anticipation in this compulsively readable story. The other unforgettable characters that appear however briefly are very effective in creating a larger canvas for the clamouring voices of the lost souls of LA to be heard and momentarily seen, like burned out stars in the night sky.

The four main stories consist of Joe the homeless guy who wakes up everyday looking for an answer which appears to show up in the battered face of a teenager, there is Esperanza a Mexican-American woman who has a perceived physical flaw and an unexpected love story that emerges from the gaping hole of her employers soul, we meet Dylan and Maddie a young couple desperately clawing their way out of a small town and ugly parentage and finally Amberton and Casey, big movie stars who are married to each other but have a commitment only to their own hideous hedonism, lies and horrendous egos.

As a former television writer, Frey knows his way around the dankness of Hollywood so we can't help but believe we're getting an insiders view of movie making and the shadowy corruption that this industry is built upon. I came away with a sense that this is an industry that attracts people with a bottomless desperation for something phantom and unknowable, a quest for salvation in all its mysterious reflections and promises of rest.

Frey utilizes a story telling technique in this novel of listing names, ages and dreams of those who flock to LA with big dreams of seeing their names in lights but fail to achieve anything except how to mix a martini and serve lunch; it's a devastating reminder that for every moronic actor telling the camera that they're living their dreams, there are thousands who were used up, thrown away and left to rot in the graveyard of their own hopes.

Interspersed in the story is the historical time line of the creation of Los Angeles and facts about the birth of this city that captivates tens of millions of people world wide and the facts are sobering, at the end of this journey you will know without a doubt that people are captivated with the illusion of LA because the reality can be staggeringly ugly and hard.

Bright Shiny Morning is written in the same highly effective, stream of consciousness style as 'A Million Little Pieces', a unique and evocative literary tool making it impossible to put this book down. Frey very deftly paints a portrait of desperate people all clamouring for a piece of the pie and stomping on each other in the process, a world of wolves and sheep, haves and have-nots, predators and prey; he also directly stares the racial make up of LA directly in the eye and doesn't blink from the violence, rage and death that is a quintessential American disaster.

Here is the irony of what this story reveals; there is an aching, beautiful innocence in all that desperation which is a unique American disaster aswell.

Bright Shiny Morning is a shattering examination of the underbelly of the American dream which is revealed to be filthy and the stench is that of broken hearts and hollowed out souls. This book has the unique achievement of being both entertaining and effecting in its handling of complicated human dramas.

This novel reinforces that James Frey is a great story teller and talented artist; I recommend this book for both men and women which speaks to Frey's' unique ability to reach both genders and satisfy their very different reading expectations. My Friend Leonard is another great read by Frey.