Frey opens his new novel, "Bright Shiny Morning," with the strongest disclaimer: "Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable." Frey is seeking redemption, but as novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald once bemoaned, "There are no second acts in American lives."
Frey's new novel is simultaneously sprawling, absurdly ambitious, and almost impossible to put down. "Bright Shiny Morning" examines Los Angeles from the points of view of several characters from wildly different backgrounds. Through these characters, a homeless alcoholic, a young Hispanic woman seeking dignity and love, a mega-famous Hollywood star whose relentless self-absorption creates the novel's funniest moments, and a couple of ill-fated teenagers who escape their boring lives on the East Coast, Frey offers us a panoramic and profound view of Los Angeles.
Although Hollywood mega-star Amberton Parker is married to a beautiful actress, he's a closeted homosexual who uses his power to prey upon men. As Frey makes clear, Amberton's most in love with himself: While shopping on Rodeo Drive, Amberton "wonders what his life would be like if he wasn't so good-looking. He would probably be a world-renowned English professor at a prestigious Eastern university." The predatory Amberton targets Kevin, an ex-college football player who works for his agent.
After Amberton threatens to get Kevin fired unless he sleeps with him, Kevin reluctantly submits to Amberton's advances. Later, Kevin records their bedroom conversations and brings a multimillion-dollar sexual harassment lawsuit against Amberton, who settles the case in exchange for silence.
