Drugs, love, alcohol, addiction, fury. After ten years of heavy drinking and three years of smoking crack, the doctors tell James Frey that if he has one more drink he will die. To avert his life off of the path towards death, James fights his way through an addiction clinic in order to come to terms with his choices and to find a way to kill the fury that drives his addiction.
James Frey is 23. The only way for him to live to see 24 is to give up his deadly addiction of drugs and alcohol for ever. James is smarter than most people, but he also has an unexplainable rage much greater than almost everyone. Though he fights to contain his fury, when it comes down to it, James has a good heart that begins to flourish as he begins to overcome his addiction.
What is the source behind James’ addiction? Is it genetics? Is it because of a rough childhood? Or is it his own choice? James strains to face what has caused his near fatal addiction; however, he chooses to ignore what the counselors say and refuses to take the easy way out and place the blame on something else in his life other than himself.
Do I recommend this novel? I could tell you that this book is full of happiness and that it shows how anyone can make it through an obstacle as addiction. If that’s what you’re looking for, than no, I would not recommend this novel. If you want to hear a true story, a story about waking up to imaginary bugs crawling over you or vomiting chunks of your own stomach up every morning in order to combat the plague of addiction, than you might actually gain a little bit of knowledge from this novel.
James Frey told his story. He scared the world with the horrors he had to face through rehabilitation. The vivid, almost shrill imagery makes the reader shake with James as he goes through withdrawal. Though the author has been chastised for making a few alterations to the story, they are almost necessary in order to make the story even more shocking and in-your-face.