Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing

The well-loved star of Friends, Matthew Perry, offers an inside look into the popular sitcom and his personal battles with addiction in his memoir, which balances humor with enlightening insights, ultimately conveying a compelling message of hope and resilience. Starting with the words, "Hi, my name is Matthew, though you might know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead," this enthralling narrative takes us through Perry's life journey, starting from his childhood dreams, rising to fame, and facing the dark struggles of addiction and recovery after a critical health crisis.

The story unfolds from Matthew's early years as a hopeful five-year-old navigating life between Montreal and Los Angeles, split between his divorced parents. It continues to his teenage years as a promising tennis player in Canada and then to the pivotal moment at age twenty-four when he landed the lead role in the pilot Friends Like Us, which would later become the iconic show Friends, changing his life forever.

In a tale only Matthew Perry could narrate, filled with warmth, humor, and sincerity, he opens up about the fractured family dynamics that shaped him, his unyielding quest for recognition, and the emptiness that fame could never fill. Yet, Perry also shares the serenity he has found through sobriety, reflecting on the enduring popularity of Friends and recounting experiences with his fellow cast members and stars he encountered on his path.

Candid and introspective, infused with his distinctive comedic flair, Perry provides a vivid account of his enduring conflict with addiction, exploring the underlying causes despite the outward appearance of success. Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is not just an intimate, revealing memoir; it reaches out to anyone grappling with sobriety. Unwaveringly honest, poignant, and hilariously entertaining, this is the book that fans have eagerly anticipated.