Bright Shiny Morning [Paperback]

SignatureReviewed by Sara NelsonWhen James Frey imploded as a memoirist in 2006, many said his A Million Little Pieces should have been—and perhaps initially was—presented as a novel, and that Frey—a sometimes screenwriter—was, both by nature and design, a fiction writer. Bright Shiny Morning is his first official book of fiction. If it's not quite a novel, less believable in its way than his augmented memoir ever was, there's no doubt it's a work of Frey's imagination. Ironic, isn't it?Set in contemporary Los Angeles, Bright Shiny Morning is not a cohesive narrative but a compilation of vignettes of several characters (if this were a memoir, we'd call them composites) who have come to the city to fulfill their dreams. Some examples: Dylan and Maddie, madly-in-love Midwestern runaways who survive through the kindness of near strangers; Esperanza, a Mexican-American maid tortured by a body that could have been drawn by R. Crumb; a group of drunks and junkies who create a community behind the shacks on Venice Beach; Amberton Parker, a hugely famous married movie star who is secretly—you guessed it—gay. Interspersed with these rotating portraits are random historical and statistical factoids (which better have been fact-checked, even if there is a nudge-nudge, wink-wink disclaimer up front: Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable) about L.A.: that, for example, approximately 2.7 million people live without health insurance and there are more than 12,000 people who describe their job as bill collector in the City of Los Angeles. Frey's intention, it seems, is to create an onomatopoetic jumble, a cacophony of facts and fiction, stats and stories, that replicate the contradictory nature of the place they describe. I expect, given the sharpness of the knives that some critics have out for Frey, that many will say the book flat out doesn't work. First off, there's that voice, the hyperbolic, breathless, run-on, word-repeating voice that was much better suited to a memoir (or even a novel) in which the hero was a hyperbolic, breathless alcoholic and drug addict. And then there's the frat-boy swagger that angered some readers of AMLP turning up here, too, so faux-cynical as to be naïve: the gang father's attaboy about his five-year-old son's desire to be a cold-blooded killer, and the prurient, adolescent take on sex. (And couldn't someone have stopped him from exclaiming woohoo after some of his fun and not fun factoids?) Yet the guy has something: an energy, a drive, a relentlessness, maybe, that can pull readers along, past the voice, past the stock characters, past the clichés. Bright Shiny Morning is a train wreck of a novel, but it's un-put-downable, a real page-turner—in what may come to be known as the Frey tradition. Sara Nelson is the editor-in-chief of Publishers Weekly.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

'It's a book that smacks of grandiosity, is exasperating but engrossing and, despite its oddities of punctuation and bleak minimalist style, is a riveting read' -- New Books 'Sprawling as the city itself, and shows the flipside to the American dream' -- GQ 'An immaculately written novel about a kaleidoscope of characters living in LA' -- Tatler 'At 500 pages, it is totally gripping throughout -- Frey may have upset a few people, but who cares when he writes like this?' -- Bookseller 'Frey clearly has a knack for telling tales -- this story of interweaving, never-meeting strangers in LA is an engrossing read' -- The Times 'Its absorbing narrative confirms Frey as a master storyteller' -- Gay Times 'Frey's trademark filmic snapshots zoom in on the parallel lives of diverse characters, bringing their egos and ideals, hopes and despairs, anxieties and absurdities vividly to life' -- Yorkshire Evening Post 'Bright Shiny Morning reads quickly, has great dialogue and some expertly dramatic moments, teaches you more about L.A than you ever knew' -- Washington Post 'A sprawling, ambitious novel about Los Angeles, written with all the broad-stroke energy that was so irresistible to readers in A Million Little Pieces' -- Vanity Fair 'An absolute triumph of a novel. In fact it's so good that it makes Frey's real-life resurrection from crooked biographer to great American novelist far more impressive ... Frey, a natural novelist to his fingertips, hits the deeper truths with this honest, vibrant and tender portrait of Los Angeles and the American dream ...It can be no exaggeration to say that Bright Shiny Morning amounts to the literary come-back of the decade ... James Frey is probably one of the finest and most important writers to have emerged in recent years' -- Irvine Welsh, Guardian 'He turns cliches into characters robust enough to carry this 500-page Californian odyssey' -- Guardian 'A compulsive piece of popular fiction ... works splendidly as an upmarket trashy read ... Frey's hefty novel is nothing less than a panoramic depiction of a megalopolis at its highest and lowest ends .. He's an excellent entertainer ... Frey can tell a story and has a fine eye for the variegated economic milieux in which his characters travel. So what if, by the end, you come away thinking the novel superficial and lacking in original insight. This is Los Angeles, baby. And in LA superficiality has its own integrity' -- The Times '[It] pays little heed to conventional syntax, thus creating a beguiling momentum of its own, propelled by raw emotion and energy ... this compulsive novel is testament that good fiction can reveal powerful emotional truths' -- Independent on Sunday 'Taking the scattergun approach of his bestseller, A Million Little Pieces, he exposes the grubby reality of the Hollywood dream' -- Marie Claire 'Frey exposes the truth behind the fairy tale of LA in this energetic novel' -- In Style 'Bright Shiny Morning has released [Frey] from the memoir trap, revealing an easy ... storytelling facility' -- Observer 'Frey has produced a novel that is defiant in both its grammatical rebellion and its fierce pace' -- Observer 'An intriguing novel peopled by characters whose presence lingers once reading has ceased' -- The List 'A triumphant read' -- London Lite 'Frey writes with pace and energy' -- Times Literary Supplement 'A sparkling narrative, which doesn't shrink from exposing the city's seamier side but ultimately is a huge celebration' -- Daily Mail 'All the characters are cleverly juxtaposed against the history and atmosphere of Los Angeles itself ... a riveting and hugely enjoyable read: rushy, entertaining and appealing' -- Sunday Business Post 'This dazzling novel focuses on a crazy cross section of the city's fictional characters' -- Look Magazine 'Frey has constructed a spaghetti junction of LA stories that is irresistible, frustrating and compelling' -- RTE Guide (Ireland) 'For fans of gritty modern writing, this fast and fascinating story paints a portrait of the Los Angeles that Hollywood films and TV dramas rarely show' -- Bella 'The gritty, gloriousness of James Frey's writing will suck you in ... one of our favourites already!' -- U Magazine '[Frey] takes us deep inside the city of inspiring actors, singers, models and dancers. The city of nose jobs, breast implants, Botox and liposuction.' 'Don't be fooled by the apparently glamorous setting of this novel. This book is a gritty, disturbing and definitely emotional insight into the LA lifestyle, yet it's not all doom and gloom either. Frey's undeniable sense of humour, wit and charm ensure you definitely get your fair share of laughs along the way. This book is an absolute, without a doubt, must read. -- Victoria Holden, Student Direct (Official Directory of Manchester and Salford) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.