Some scientists have observed that rats start scurrying around in their cages once the cyanide pellets drop. And sure enough, it looks like Big Jim Frey himself is in denial, grasping at straws, claiming that Random House isn’t offering a special refund on A Million Little Pieces, that it is standard policy to issue refunds on all books, and that there were fewer than 15 calls to Random House customer service. While the policy has been confirmed by the Book Standard‘s Kimberly Maul, you have to wonder why Frey thinks that anyone will trust a man who has been so clearly identified as a liar.
Frey needs to understand something. Nobody likes a bullshit artist. This morning at the bus stop, I got into a conversation with two people. One of them had just started A Million Little Pieces and the second person had informed this reader that it was all a lie. It broke my heart to see the guy’s face crack like that. This reader really thought the book was real and was in utter disbelief. And that had to be a horrible way for this guy to start his day. I told the guy that most writers were liars and recommended him Caroline Knapp’s Drinking: A Love Story as a good memoir to pick up. Since the book has sold 1.7 million copies, I can’t imagine how many others are going to have the same kind of horrible wakeup call.
The Call by Yannick Murphy: The always interesting author of Here They Come and Signed, Mata Hari returns with a novel that whips up a worldview from a rather quirky set of limitations: namely, the call logs that a veterinarian maintains as his son is unexpectedly put into a coma and an unforgiving economy denies him work. What emerges is a surprisingly optimistic, often funny, and very moving account on how one family uses acceptance and forgiveness as a way to atone for hard knocks. (
Birds of Paradise by Diana Abu-Jaber: Forget Franzen and Eugenides. If you're looking for a social novel that counts, Diana Abu-Jaber is the author you're looking for. Building from the free-form exploration of consciousness and identity in Crescent and the gripping procedural structure of Origin, Abu-Jaber's latest novel is her finest, equally fluent with gutterpunk culture and smarmy real estate men. It has been suggested by The Washington Post's Ron Charles that you will likely gain some pounds while reading this novel. This is certainly true. Abu-Jaber's description of food is so precise that it often made me want to do more cooking. But I very much admired the way in which Abu-Jaber presents all her characters as unwitting victims of rough capitalism, which permits them some dignity even as they perform terrible acts.
The Last of the Live Nude Girls by Sheila McClear: This memoir isn't so much about the decline of the Times Square peepshow, as it is about one young woman's efforts to pull herself up by by her bootstraps when presented with few economic options. Filled with self-introspective candor and a quiet dignity, McClear's story is one that might befall any of us in these volatile times. While McClear does get back on her feet, her book leads one contemplating the terrible fates of other young women now moving to New York and falling into deadlier vocations. (
Jame’s post is actually confirmed by this story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10807257/
I wish I had cable to catch the Larry King appearance tonight! Didn’t someone say he was bringing his mom, or am I making that up?
I’ve heard that rumor, CAAF. I’m thinking about doing a live/DVR’d blog of it if I can clear my schedule.
I don’t have cable either, but my guess is that this has become so big that the folks at Crooks & Liars will have something.
Yay, LIVE BLOG!!
Oh, that is so sad about the guy on the bus! I hate to even think about it… Caroline Knapp’s book is superb; I think Augusten Burroughs’ DRY is great too.
CAAF: Two words: rushed transcript!