Book Review: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir

Matthew Perry from the hit television show "Friends, was an icon.   He and his cast-mates made us laugh week in and week out.  Yet very few people knew the actual turmoil that was his private life.   The book Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir,  starts at the very beginning of the story.  Matthew walks the reader through his tumultuous childhood.  He lays out the good, the bad and the ugly by talking about the good parts of his childhood but also confronting the more traumatic experiences.   We walk with him through the struggles to secure acting jobs.   We also see him deal with the stress and traumas of life, we see him turn to alcohol and eventually pills even as he worked as an up and coming actor.  When they began to cast for the television show "Friends", Matthew Perry knew that he wanted the role.   It was months before he landed the role that he had been coveting, the role of Chandler.   His dream had come true and he was able to portray the character of Chandler which took him to a level of success that he had only dreamed.  However, successful as he became, he was not able to control the demon of addiction.   His addiction to alcohol and/or pills continued throughout every season of the show.  What struck me most was how he wrote that one could see what demon he was struggling with at the moment due to his weight, which fluctuated near 100 pounds due to either excessive alcohol or excessive pills.

This autobiography is blunt and to the point.  It shares the tragic effects that his addictions have had, and currently have on his body.     It highlights how badly he wants to be healthy and free, but how these addictions have a way of creeping back in.  It is a fascinating look at not only the life of one of our friends, but also the life of someone caught in the throes of addiction.   

Check out my other Reviews by Genre or by Author.