Ruined.
25 Oct
So–I purchased The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things by JT Leroy around two years ago or so –before reading about the controversy surrounding the author. I think it was suggested to me by Amazon’s bot–not sure.
I finally started reading it today knowing that JT isn’t real. If you aren’t familiar–the author is really a woman by the name of Laura Albert. Being aware of this information really ruins things for me. [Corny joke plug: The author is deceitful above all things! ::snicker::]
What’s the point of creating a fake identity and going through all that trouble, the wigs, the sunglasses, the strange public appearances? If you are a good writer–and the material is well written and enticing–it shouldn’t matter if it’s categorized as fiction and not based on anything involving your past.
Not all of us can have such warped and interesting lives to be able to create a juicy memoir or write novels based on reality/true events. The books are categorized as fiction, but if you are familiar with JT Leroy, he (she) has spoken out against his own troubled past and childhood leading us to link much of the stories of the books to his own life. Sarah is said to have been semiautobiographical.
But you know what? I can’t really give Albert too much crap for this because it does seem as a writer– to be published –or at least read widely nowadays–you need to have something captivating and sensational as a hook. Would these books be as popular written by a 40 year old woman as opposed to a written autobiographical tale by a troubled abused prostituted boy with a gender identity issue diagnosed with HIV*? Probably not.
I had believed for a while that the books were written by a uneducated (in the traditional sense) young man–so that part was intriguing to me. A literary genius at 16 (age when he was first published)? Wow!
Some of the quotes from critics regarding The Heart include:
“Though only 21, LeRoy writes with extraordinary maturity about harsh life…” -Publishers Weekly
“Despite his age, [JT LeRoy] has a genuinely authoritative voice” -Booklist
Doh!
I’ll still read it and let you know what I think–but again–I am a little bummed. Maybe I’ll just convince myself this was an elaborate performance art piece and get myself into it.
Perhaps I’ll even see the movie.
Further reading:
*Some speculate that the HIV claim was never made by Leroy/Albert and instead brought up for the first time in the NY Times article to further vilify the author –in retaliation for being deceived.
Update: I have gotten further into the book–and it gives me an uncomfortable feeling. Not the good kind either–the kind that makes you want to continue turning the pages. I think this one is going to take me a while.
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