THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER

The TV miniseries adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Normal People is a book lover’s dream. The adaptation stayed true to the book, with dialogue translated verbatim from page to screen, and interactions described beautifully in the book, played out just as I had imagined them. The were a few changes and added scenes, but everything new in the miniseries added to the story in a constructive way.   Each chapter of the book centered around one scene, told from either  Connell or Marianne’s perspective, with mentions to events that had happened since the last chapter. While I loved this unique style of storytelling in the book, I wondered if the TV show would take the same approach. Sometimes, it did, setting up a scene and then flashing back months later, catching the viewer up. I thought it was done wonderfully and I’m glad that it wasn’t done for every episode, just when it was needed, like when Connell was meeting with the therapist.   I also loved how scenes that we...

***Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead*** When you read a book, you envision the universe in your head. Based on the author’s descriptions, you have a vison of what the characters look like and what their world looks like. The author’s words give you such a deep understanding of who the characters are and what drives their actions. When characters come across obstacles, we feel like we know them so well, we can guess how they are going to react before they do. What makes a reader fall in love with a book is their ability to connect to the characters and join in their world. Of course, an adaptation of a book is not going to be exactly the way you imagined it; it would be unrealistic to expect the adaptation to be an exact retelling of the story. However, a good adaptation shouldn’t make unnecessary changes, and, any changes that it does make, should enhance the story, while still sticking to the heart of what the story is about. Little Fires Everywhere made a lot of changes ...