Another Day in Paradise (novel)

Another Day in Paradise is a novel by Eddie Little first published in 1997. Set in the early 70s, it tells the story of the protagonist, a fourteen-year-old runaway named Bobbie, transforming from a meth addict and amateur thief to a heroin addict and accomplished safe-cracker, with the help of his mentor Mel.

Plot summary

At age 13, Bobbie leaves the violent, abusive home where he was raised, and this book details his following year. He has an older girlfriend, carries a gun, takes drugs, and is on an ever-tightening spiral to hell, his crimes escalating until they include murder. The plot, which highlights Bobbie's increasing dependence on the highs of violence, emphasizes a frightening reality.

Controversy

On January 27, 2006, in the Moscow-based alternative newspaper the eXile, essayist John Dolan leveled charges of plagiarism against James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, accusing him of lifting material from Another Day in Paradise and another Little work, Steel Toes. Neither Frey, nor his publisher Random House, have addressed the allegations of plagiarism.

References

• the eXile review (5/2003)