bright shiny morning

James Frey's new book, Bright Shiny Morning got somewhat slammed this week in the New York Times Book Review. The reviewer seemed to pride himself on his central thesis, which was, essentially, that this novel reads too much like non-fiction and Frey's much publicized non-fiction turned out too be too close to fiction.
Clever. But I actually found the book to be an enjoyable experience, and not at all oversimplified as the reviewer pointed out.
Facts about Los Angeles separate each of the chapters, which sketch the lives of various Los Angeleans, The city becomes a character in its own right, with its promising start as a land of hopes and dreams (and angels) slowly spiraling into a mess of highways, lack of water, and overdose on drugs and crime. This spiral is echoed in the stories of the main characters, Amberton, a movie star, Dylan and Maddie, two small town kids looking for a better life, and...

...Esperanza, the hispanic maid. Are these stereotypical characters, as the NYTimes reviewer points out? Yes. Are they any less riveting for that? No. And I believe they have enough flesh on them, pockmarked and dimpled with Frey's rapid-moving prose, to seem true to life.
I say Forgive Frey! His past sins have no bearing on this beautiful book that links a city (in a portrayal that will serve as a history as well as a story) with those who live and are ultimately subsumed by it.