James Frey, the Memoir, and Truth
By now, everyone in America has heard of James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces. If not, where have you been? He's the only thirtysomething memoirist that I know of who has recently appeared on both Oprah and Larry King, and if that won't make you a household name, I'm not sure what else will.
His book sales have made him a millionaire as well as a target of suspicion and investigation. The Smoking Gun unearthed his arrest reports (or lack thereof) in an attempt to discredit some of his book's most audacious claims. The issue is one of proportion: Did Frey exaggerate his past in order to deceive the reader?
The answer is simple: Yes, but who doesn't?
This is an example of the discourse of journalism attempting to assert itself onto the discourse of the memoir. To some, it may seem like I'm missing the larger point of the nature of an unreliable narrator, but to me, this is a clear example of the news media just not getting it.
A memoir, despite what some people may say, is not and has never been a work of pure non-fiction. In order to preserve the anonymity of friends and family members, memoirists frequently change the names, ages, and physical attributes of his or her characters. And unlike medical doctors and the Bush administration, memoirists do not walk around with a tape recorder; in many cases, dialogue is wholly-invented. The reader suspends his or her disbelief for a few hundred pages, the book ends, and everyone is usually satisfied. When you really consider it, two of the most critical components of a work of "non-fiction" are missing from the memoir: the characters aren't real people (they are a fictionalized version of real people, drawn from the imagination of a subjective writer) and the dialogue is a complete work of fiction. In many cases, entire conversations are made up for the purposes of advancing plot and calling attention to specific themes.
The James Frey controversy makes it abundantly clear that most Americans (or could it be most journalists?) cannot distinguish between a memoir (creative non-fiction if you prefer) and a work of pure non-fiction. In the case of Frey, the reader is immediately made aware that he is an unreliable narrator. I read the book a few years ago, but if memory serves me correctly, it begins with a barely-conscious Frey waking up on an airplane. At first, Frey has no idea how he got on the airplane or where he is headed. From the very first page, Frey lays the foundation for an unreliable narrator. If the reader is not sophiscated enough to pick up on this, the book may be called dense and convoluted, but the writer should not be labeled a liar. (And his publisher shouldn't offer refunds to those Americans who felt "betrayed").
When Frey appeared on Larry King Live, he said that he initially shopped the book as a work of fiction. He was turned down by everyone. He recognized that parts of the book were inflated, but because the book is still, ultimately, about his life, Frey started calling it a memoir (which, by definition, it is). Indeed, in my opinion, Frey was LESS honest with himself when he called the book a work of fiction.
Why?
Because a memoir exists in the gray area between real life and imagination; it is a subjective retelling of memories and thoughts, the past and the present, our truths and our fantasies. And as anyone whose ever experienced human life can tell you, life is a mixture of all of these things. The process of writing about your own life involves confronting your own perception of truth, and in the case of a drug abuser like James Frey, it may also involve recreating entire months as a way of finding that truth.
I have visited the same rehab facility in which James Frey spent a grueling month in treatment. I visited as family and not as a patient, by the way. Although I found the place to be exceptionally ordinary, I sympathize with those who mythologize their stay in rehab. For many people, a month in rehab is like waking up from a long dream. It is as much a process of self-discovery as it is a process of rediscovering the outside world. When in its confines, the small details of daily life seem to take on added drama.
If you happen to be one of those people who cherished James Frey's book only to now feel violated by his omissions and exaggerations, then you may want to ask yourself why you feel the way you do, and you may also consider rethinking your definition of storytelling. Unlike journalism, storytelling is the creative enterprise of using the lies of imagination in pursuit of a greater truth. Storytelling does not require us to find multiple sources; the writer (or the teller) is the only source we need. If you find that you require more than that, try reading something else.
His book sales have made him a millionaire as well as a target of suspicion and investigation. The Smoking Gun unearthed his arrest reports (or lack thereof) in an attempt to discredit some of his book's most audacious claims. The issue is one of proportion: Did Frey exaggerate his past in order to deceive the reader?
The answer is simple: Yes, but who doesn't?
This is an example of the discourse of journalism attempting to assert itself onto the discourse of the memoir. To some, it may seem like I'm missing the larger point of the nature of an unreliable narrator, but to me, this is a clear example of the news media just not getting it.
A memoir, despite what some people may say, is not and has never been a work of pure non-fiction. In order to preserve the anonymity of friends and family members, memoirists frequently change the names, ages, and physical attributes of his or her characters. And unlike medical doctors and the Bush administration, memoirists do not walk around with a tape recorder; in many cases, dialogue is wholly-invented. The reader suspends his or her disbelief for a few hundred pages, the book ends, and everyone is usually satisfied. When you really consider it, two of the most critical components of a work of "non-fiction" are missing from the memoir: the characters aren't real people (they are a fictionalized version of real people, drawn from the imagination of a subjective writer) and the dialogue is a complete work of fiction. In many cases, entire conversations are made up for the purposes of advancing plot and calling attention to specific themes.
The James Frey controversy makes it abundantly clear that most Americans (or could it be most journalists?) cannot distinguish between a memoir (creative non-fiction if you prefer) and a work of pure non-fiction. In the case of Frey, the reader is immediately made aware that he is an unreliable narrator. I read the book a few years ago, but if memory serves me correctly, it begins with a barely-conscious Frey waking up on an airplane. At first, Frey has no idea how he got on the airplane or where he is headed. From the very first page, Frey lays the foundation for an unreliable narrator. If the reader is not sophiscated enough to pick up on this, the book may be called dense and convoluted, but the writer should not be labeled a liar. (And his publisher shouldn't offer refunds to those Americans who felt "betrayed").
When Frey appeared on Larry King Live, he said that he initially shopped the book as a work of fiction. He was turned down by everyone. He recognized that parts of the book were inflated, but because the book is still, ultimately, about his life, Frey started calling it a memoir (which, by definition, it is). Indeed, in my opinion, Frey was LESS honest with himself when he called the book a work of fiction.
Why?
Because a memoir exists in the gray area between real life and imagination; it is a subjective retelling of memories and thoughts, the past and the present, our truths and our fantasies. And as anyone whose ever experienced human life can tell you, life is a mixture of all of these things. The process of writing about your own life involves confronting your own perception of truth, and in the case of a drug abuser like James Frey, it may also involve recreating entire months as a way of finding that truth.
I have visited the same rehab facility in which James Frey spent a grueling month in treatment. I visited as family and not as a patient, by the way. Although I found the place to be exceptionally ordinary, I sympathize with those who mythologize their stay in rehab. For many people, a month in rehab is like waking up from a long dream. It is as much a process of self-discovery as it is a process of rediscovering the outside world. When in its confines, the small details of daily life seem to take on added drama.
If you happen to be one of those people who cherished James Frey's book only to now feel violated by his omissions and exaggerations, then you may want to ask yourself why you feel the way you do, and you may also consider rethinking your definition of storytelling. Unlike journalism, storytelling is the creative enterprise of using the lies of imagination in pursuit of a greater truth. Storytelling does not require us to find multiple sources; the writer (or the teller) is the only source we need. If you find that you require more than that, try reading something else.