Book Review: Bright Shiny Morning by James Frey

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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.