Frey fan

DAVID L. ULIN’s review of “Bright Shiny Morning, by James Frey [“ ‘Morning’ Shouldn’t See Daylight,” May 13], is a shallow, ill-considered, tone-deaf hatchet piece. In trying to make his case, he selects a rather random set of examples and details but makes no effort at understanding their connection to or position within the narrative.

In a sense, Ulin’s the perfect example of much of what the book lampoons about L.A.: someone so self-absorbed within his narrow worldview that he’s unwilling and unable to understand the complexity of life outside that view. To use a somewhat forced cliche, this review reminds me of the story about Joseph II’s complaint to Mozart: “Too many notes.” The poor fellow couldn’t make sense of them, and so they were just noise to him.

Gabriel Jones

Los Angeles