Are screenplay adaptations as good as the books?
Reviewing screenplay adaptations of books
Content warning: Spoilers ahead for “It Ends With Us” and “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.”
Design by Banee Chadha
Banee Chadha, Photography Editor
As a bookworm, I'm always intrigued when I see some of my favorite books being adapted into screenplays. I love reading a good book and then watching my imagination come to life on screen. However, with recent screenplay adaptations of books such as “It Ends With Us” or “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder,” I've noticed that the adaptations aren't as good as the books, and it left me uncertain about how people will interpret the next adaptations.
The book “It Ends with Us” is a romance novel that follows Lily Bloom, a young woman navigating the complexities of love, domestic abuse, and self-discovery. The story centers on Lily's relationships with her first love, Atlas Corrigan, and her new partner, Ryle Kincaid. As she becomes tangled in a cycle of abuse, Lily must make difficult choices to break free and create a better future for herself. The book switches between Lily’s past and the present, in which she talks about her first love Atlas, who is an important figure in her life. Atlas was a homeless teenage boy who Lily met in her high school years. The two of them formed a deep bond, and he provided comfort to Lily as she was going through a difficult time in her life with her dad abusing her mom. After separating for years, the two of them meet up again in Boston when Atlas opens up a restaurant that Lily attends with Ryle, her present boyfriend.
After watching the movie, I realized that it missed key details from the book. One example is the symbolization of the magnet that Atlas gives to Lily on her 16th birthday before he leaves for Boston with his uncle. The magnet says “Better in Boston” as a reminder of their bond and shared dream for the future there. Years go by, and Lily is now with Ryle. That magnet has always been on the refrigerator, and it was never a big deal until Ryle found old letters that depicted where and why she had the magnet. He had also been reading a magazine in which it talks about the top new restaurants in Boston. One is BIB’s, Atlas’s restaurant. In his interview, Atlas says it's called “BIB” because the name stands for “Better in Boston” and that the phrase connects to a woman who means a lot to him. Lily lies to Ryle about the magnet, so when he discovers the truth, he tries to “show how much he loves her more than Atlas.” Luckily Lily was able to prevent the abuse, but it left her scared. In the movie, the magnet didn't even exist, and neither did the letters. The name of the restaurant was not even BIB and instead was “Roots.” This magnet is one of the key elements in the domestic violence that Lily faces. I was shocked when I didn't see this in the movie, because why would the directors miss out on such an important detail? I was anticipating seeing that scene and was disappointed when it was included.
Another recent book-to-screenplay adaptation is “A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.” High school senior Pippa Fitz-Amobi investigates a five-year-old murder case in her small town, questioning the guilt of the accused, Sal Singh, who is later believed to have committed suicide due to the accusations. She soon teams up with Sal’s younger brother, Ravi Singh, who believes that Sal is innocent and is determined to clear his brother’s name. Together, they uncover secrets and lies that suggest the truth is far more complicated than the town believes. As they get closer to the real killer, the stakes become dangerously high for Pip. The novel beautifully combines suspense, characterization, and unexpected findings while exploring themes of justice, truth, and the emotional cost of reputation on families like Ravi's, who have been wrongly judged.
In the novel, Pippa’s diary entries and text conversations provide insight into her thoughts and feelings about the case and the truths she discovers. However, the show does not unveil these emotions and truths and instead tosses them to the side. Pippa went into a lot more detail in the books when it came to investigating and conducting her evidence board, but in the show, it's more simplified, and important details from her investigation were left out. Another example is Pippa’s flashbacks from when she was younger and last saw Sal and Andie, where the show removes many of the details. Pippa had been one of the last people to see Sal, apart from his small friend group, before Andie had disappeared.
Screenplay adaptations of books are becoming more common, yet they frequently fall short of the original works, leaving readers disappointed due to the lack of essential story aspects. When directors remove or change key components, it asks why they bother adapting the story at all if they can't convey its essence. For readers who are invested in the story, these alterations might feel like a betrayal, as the printed word's emotional depth and complexity rarely translate well to the screen. We watch these adaptations with high expectations, hoping to see valued characters and scenes honestly recreated, only to be faced with a final result that is sometimes empty or overly simplified.
