Frey's A Million Little Pieces Blog 1

Frey's writing style is it's own addictive substance. He writes like my brain works and it makes sense and compels me forward through each chapter, turning each page. His images are vivid and brutal and real. I am far enough in to have just read an account of having major reconstructive dental surgery without anesthesia or painkillers. Whether this is real or not, it makes my mouth hurt. My whole body can sense what he describes and I'm terrified to think of ever needing a root canal with the help of painkillers...Vivid. Brutal. Real.

I'm realizing that my blog about what I've read so far somewhat mimics his style of writing and I'm interested to see if future reads provide similar inspiration or if I have just found my own style to be similar to Frey's. Hum...something to think about it. Hopefully, if folks actually read this regularly, I can get clued in to any kind of trend or voice. (SIDEBAR!)

So far, so good. While there is image after image of disturbing events and an abundance of adult language (I would hope folks would realize that a book about drug addiction might not be rated G), there are inklings of hope already tucked inside the pages. After all, Frey lived to write a book about it. My personal experiences with people struggling against difficult and overwhelming odds tells me that the man in this story (real or embellished) is seeking. Seeking healing but not really physically. And his statements about his family and his feeling of inadequacy and failure resonate. You don't have to have been an addict to feel like a disappointment. To wonder at how someone still loves you. (pg 44) The power of this love pulses through this character and seems to compel him, without him knowing it perhaps - to keep going.

I'm on page 77...I'm sure he'll face other horrible things...read on!