Book publisher Random House is offering a refund to any customer who purchased James Frey’s novel ‘A Million Little Pieces,’ after allegations surfaced that much of the memoir was fabricated whole cloth by the author. The Reuters story on CNN calls this refund ‘unprecedented,’ probably because this is the first time that anyone thought an autobiographical memoir was actually true.

The article goes on to say that if you purchased ‘A Million Little Pieces’ from a bookstore, you’ll have to take it up with the retailer in question. (Thanks, Jessica! Is this what happens when all the Gawker sites die? We get tips? )

Update: Random House says their refund policy is nothing new. Still no statement as to whether or not publishing fiction as ‘memoirs’ is a long-standing tradition.

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