“Katerina” by James Fry

“Katerina” by James Fry

Say what you will about the author, James Fry. Some call him a fabricator, others a liar and a con man. Regardless, I think he can really write, despite his reputation. Seriously, it mattered to me that his 2003 book, “Million Little Pieces,” was published as nonfiction and turned out to be more fiction than truth. I don’t like being deceived. But, at the same time, I remember the thrill I felt when I was reading “A Million Little Pieces,” and the excitement I felt when I cracked opens its sequel, “My Friend Leonard.” Both books held prized places on my shelf for many years, like an old boyfriend for whom I was still carrying a torch. Yet, it was fake. Fast-forward to today, and despite some new bad press, I found Frey’s new fiction book, “Katerina” a wonderful read, too. This book is a proper novel with a memoir hiding in side of it, sort of the inside-out reverse of his first book presented as a comeuppance to the literary world. And I found it just as compelling. Ron Charles of the Washington Post said, “Katerina” was “so heated with narcissism that you have to read it wearing oven mitts.” So maybe I…kind of…find narcissists to be interesting people, and very crafty writers.  Frey’s first adult novel in more than a decade, “Katerina” follows the story of a woman who contacts her former lover through Facebook. I was hooked just by this premise, of course. But there’s more: We see their relationship toggle back and forth between 1992 Paris, and present day Los Angeles, where the narrator, Jay, lives with his wife and children, and runs a successful commercial publishing company. Calling each other, “Model Girl,” and “Writer Boy,” back in the 1990s, Jay and Katerina rejoice over their cute meet-up in Paris where their courtship took place amongst its streets along with a whole lot of booze and drugs. As they become reacquainted via Facebook, we see up close, all that they had, and all that they lost. Frey still has a knack for making addicts seem vulnerable and loveable, as he does again within the pages of “Katerina.” Maybe I just like bad-boy writers, but a book that takes me on a wild ride, is the kind of book I love to read the most. To purchase this book on Amazon click here.