Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
Setting
Although James doesn't name the clinic in the book—he refers
to it only as the "oldest Residential Drug and Alcohol Treatment Facility
in the World" (1.2.42)—it is now known that it is base...
Genre
Autobiography/Postmodernism:
Is it Real, or Is It James Frey?
Oh, boy. You're asking us about the genre of A Million Little Pieces.
We're gonna take ten deep breaths before we try tackle this....
Tone
James Frey is not your typical rehab patient. He doesn't
take the counselors or the other patients seriously. He actively mocks the
Twelve-Step program. And he's a jerk. (Seriously. We're being...
Writing Style
Stream of Consciousness.
Fragmented.
Sometimes, A
Million Little Pieces sounds like someone doing a William
Shatner impersonation.
Leave.
No.
Drink.
Smoke.
Panic.
Panic.
Leave.
Stay....
What's Up With the Title?
The title comes from the epigraph, so we'll rehash some of
what we say in our "What's Up with the Epigraph?" section.
The epigraph is an original poem by James Frey about a Young
Man who broke...
What's Up With the Epigraph?
The Young
Man came to the Old Man seeking counsel.
I broke something, Old
Man.
How badly is it
broken?
It's in a million
little pieces.
I'm afraid I can't
help you.
Why?
There's nothing you...
What's Up With the Ending?
A Man Walks Into a
Bar
At the end of the novel, James is released from rehab and
picked up by his little brother. James asks his brother to take him to a bar,
and because James is the most stubbor...
Tough-o-Meter
At a glance, A
Million Little Pieces looks like an epic e.e. cummings poem:
no quotation marks, no paragraph breaks
Parts
That
Look
Like
This.
But upon closer inspection, James Frey...