But, wait, there’s more. Like those infomercials that offer free gifts, Bright Shiny Morning is also the personal story of a city. Squeezed in between the parables of its populace is the sordid and triumphant past of the second largest city in the United States. Fact geeks will love the garnish of truly enticing trivia about LA. Some historical trivia will be familiar to the reader such as uprisings from racial pressure or the city’s perpetual combat with mother nature. And some trivia will be new to the reader, such as the city’s intentional disregard for a plan to manage traffic dating back to the 1950s. The effect of this factual effrontery is that on its own merits LA has a worthwhile story of its own to tell.
Bright Shiny Morning is a provoking survey of LA dreams. The book is populated by characters who share the warmth of possibility as much as they share the warmth of the California sun. Possibility is one of the most important motifs of the book. Possibility permeates the characters and stories and creates a sanctuary for its dreams and dreamers. Dreams are nothing without the possibility of pursuing them and that requires a place to pursue them in. For the world over, Los Angeles is place to pursue dreams; it is like one of the characters in the book says about LA: “It’s possible here.”
Bright Shiny Morning is published by Harper Perennial and is now available for purchase. Other works by James Frey include My Friend Leonard and A Million Little Pieces.
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