New Canaan’s Notorious Neighbor – James Frey’s Fictional Drama Hits Close to Home
by Jill Johnson
THE APPROACH TO JAMES FREY’S HOUSE FEELS LIKE A DRIVE THROUGH THE PAGES OF HIS LATEST BOOK
The landscape unfolds with rambling farmhouses and faux French chateaus—each boasting a dozen bathrooms and perimeters marked by quaint fieldstone walls that quiet the opulence. It’s particularly picturesque in the bloom of spring, as perfect as New Bethlehem, the fictional town where Frey’s book, Next to Heaven, is set.
It’s no secret that the setting is modeled on New Canaan; the town’s history, outlined in detail by Frey, and its shops, landmarks and parks mirror our own. But are the characters ours, too? That’s the question that left some residents sleepless in their Frette linens as they anticipated the book’s release in June. And now that the juicy novel is out, reading lights are burning bright across the “Next Station to Heaven.”
In his newest release, Frey draws from the salacious novels of Jackie Collins and Danielle Steele—surprising inspirations for an author who says he pursued writing because of men like Henry Miller, Jack Kerouac and Kurt Vonnegut. But Frey is not what one might expect from a man quick to give the world the middle finger.
Frey’s neighborhood is dotted with the occasional modern home, placing us squarely in The Ice Storm country. New Canaan was also the setting for Ang Lee’s 1997 film based on Rick Moody’s eponymous novel about a key party that wreaks havoc on its characters’ lives and community. Next to Heaven features its own spouse-swapping shindig. It’s the kind of thing that can make a small town edgy. Was it based on an actual swingers party? My mission would be to find out.