Oprah and James Frey
When I read A Million Pieces I couldn't put it down. For me, I sure didn't care or think about the reality of it but let the text capture my imagination and take me on a ridiculously crazy ride. The voice was clear, the writing was sharp, the construction of the story flawless. I didn't feel as strongly about My Friend Leonard, but the writing in this sequel was equally as consistent, equally as captivating. I read both cover to cover and recommend both to anyone looking for a good, entertaining read. (I do not recommend it for someone hoping for a clear insight to addiction and recovery. We're strictly talking entertainment, here.)
I remember seeing Frey on the first Oprah show and really liking him. He seemed, heck, I'll say it: He seemed normal. I remember seeing him on Oprah the second time and just feeling really sorry for him. I thought Oprah was way, way out of line and I stopped watching her show for awhile.
At the time, I couldn't put a finger on why in this situation Frey seemed right and Oprah seemed wrong but over the years I've formulated a few theories. The first is the Olaudah Equiano theory.
Olaudah Equiano gained fame and fortune in the 18th century for telling his harrowing tale of coming to England on a slave ship after being kidnapped in Africa. In reality, there's a strong likelihood he never set foot in Africa and was, in fact, born in South Carolina. That is to say, I think the genre of memoir has always had varying degrees of truth but in Olaudah Equiano's case and in Frey's case, I don' t think The Truth is always necessary in order for truth to be revealed.
The second theory, which I believe to be proven true in the author interview at the back of Bright Shiny Morning, is the marketing theory.
The marketing theory is that A Million Pieces published at a time when memoir was publisher's gold. Even with what little experience and knowledge I had of the publishing world then, I knew enough to know an author publishing with Doubleday wasn't going to have much say in the marketing plan for the book.
The last thing isn't so much a theory but a belief that all good literature tells a story. Period. It isn't reporting, it isn't academic research, it's storytelling. My book, Lost Edens, is true to the point some of the dialogue is absolutely, verbatim, what was said in the moment. But it's still just a story. As the Tracy Chapman song goes,
There is fiction in the space between
The lines on your page of memories
Write it down but it doesn't mean
You're not just telling stories
Frey told a heckuva entertaining story and I can't wait until Monday where I think an apology from Oprah is imminent and, even more importantly, there will be discussion about the blurred lines between fiction and nonfiction. These lines will be sharpened or they will be lessened in importance. I really think it's just that epic. Why? Oprah drives marketing choices, which drives publishing choices, which determines what we read and how we read it.
Cannot wait.
