A Million Little Pieces

A shocking exploration of addiction

By: James Frey

Narrated by: Tim Flavin

James Frey wakes up on a plane, with no memory of the preceding two weeks. His face is cut and his body is covered with bruises. He has no wallet and no idea of his destination. He has abused alcohol and every drug he can lay his hands on for a decade - and he is aged only twenty-three.

What happens next is one of the most powerful and extreme stories ever told. His family takes him to a rehabilitation centre. And James Frey starts his perilous journey back to the world of the drug and alcohol-free living. His lack of self-pity is unflinching and searing.

A Million Little Pieces is a dazzling account of a life destroyed and a life reconstructed. It is also the introduction of a bold and talented literary voice.

(P)2013 John Murray Press©2013 James Frey

Critic reviews

Excellent ... Frey's storytelling feels compulsive, involuntary ... poignant and tragic. The forthcoming film will almost certainly be a cult hit ... The good thing about Frey is that he writes as if he needs to; I hope his new compulsion thrives

James Frey's utterly mesmerising account ... [is] easily the most remarkable non-fiction book about drugs and drug taking since Hunter S Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ... As a memoir, it is almost mythic. You can imagine it made epic by Martin Scorsese, the auteur of wayward American maleness in all its extremity ... Utterly compulsive

Frey really can write. Brilliantly. And if you don't think so, f*** you

Clear sighted and intellectually honest

A heartbreaking memoir ... inspirational and essential

This book is definitely going to be huge ... There is no question that he's a good writer. As soon as you start reading the book, Frey's voice rings out. It's clear and sharp and turbocharged ... We love rehab memoirs. This is a good one. It might even be a great one

An extraordinary and deeply moving book that will make you think about family, friendship, love, religion, death and perhaps most of all, the human spirit

Startling and ultimately breath taking

Horribly honest and funny ... Read this immediately

Harrowing, poetic and rather magnificent

James Frey spent ten years addicted to alcohol and crack before going into rehab at the age of 23. This unrelenting memoir of his recovery spares no detail. Luckily, he is a good writer - indulgent and uncompromising

Frey is selfish, egocentric, violent and pompous . . . What redeems this insufferably bad mannered book is that, at the end of the day, Frey can write. Brilliantly

Frey's writing style vividly conveys the horrors of addiction ... dark humour and sharp observations are evidence of a keen intelligence and an unusual strength of character ... a totally absorbing book

Harrowing and unflinching ... This is not a book about drugs but about their aftermath ... Though definitely not for the faint hearted, Frey is often darkly and self deprecatingly funny. This is, in essence, a story of redemption and an incredibly moving one. This is a great book

This book is a raging, brilliant debut.

Crafted from genuine, raw emotion.

'Blisteringly written ... The prose is superb'

'James Frey propelled the memoir of dysfunctional life to the top of the bestseller lists'

'Frey's book combined high quality drug porn with memorable characters and a strong narrative arc that describes a modern version of Rake's Progress.'

'The last remarkable book I read... I couldn't put it down.'

Visceral

This is one of my favourite books, the audiobook is good but I’m not in love with the narration because it sounds stunted and dull for most parts, another narrator would’ve been a better choice.

Im Stunned!

Where does A Million Little Pieces rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Million Little Pieces?

All of it

Any additional comments?

I have never listened to a book quite like this before. I thought I had purchased a fiction book..it turned out to be 100% true! The style in which this book was written was so powerful it almost felt like I was in James Frey's skin. It was the most moving and incredible story of a man digging himself into the deepest depths and then finding the courage to literally pull himself back into the light.
The friends he made along the way will surprise you and perhaps make you realise that no matter how degraded a person has become, that nine times out of ten, there is still a good person willing to help his fellow man inside.
Some people may find this a little bit hard to get into the story, but do persevere. I promise you, you will listen to one of the most thought provoking storie in a long time.