Welcome back to Books with Cause. Let’s dive into my next review.
There has been an unintentional trend in my reviews since I launched this site. I happen to read a lot of things that have been adapted into movies or TV shows. None of this was deliberate. I don’t remember choosing the books I like any more than I chose the food and drinks I like the taste of. Something either grabs me or it doesn’t. I like to read the book first, if possible, but there are times I watch something and learn that it was adapted from a book. In both circumstances, I want to experience the other format because I’m curious to see how somebody imagined the transition from one format to another. This can often lead to me complaining because the TV show or film hasn’t stayed as faithful to the book as I’d have liked. But the following is an example of a lesson I’ve learnt which might well change my thinking moving forward.
In the tail end of last year, my girlfriend told me she’d been watching this show and really enjoying it. So I thought I’d give it a go myself to see what all the fuss was about. The show is called The Girlfriend and is available on Amazon Prime. I got through all six episodes quite quickly and requested the book from the library as soon as I was aware it was an adaptation.
Laura Cavendish has everything. She and her husband are very wealthy. Laura runs her own production company and develops high-end dramas which she pitches to ITV. And she has a son named Daniel who has just turned twenty-three. Daniel has recently graduated from university and is just about to start working as a junior doctor at the local hospital. He has his whole life ahead of him and looks set to make an excellent life for himself. Of course, the trust fund that flows into his account every month certainly helps an awful lot.
When Daniel goes looking for a flat to buy, he ends up falling for his estate agent, Cherry Laine. Daniel and Cherry become serious quicker than a rat up a drainpipe. They move in together and plan a future together. The issues arise when Daniel introduces Cherry to his mother. It is immediately evident that Laura and Cherry do not see eye to eye. Laura does not trust Cherry and believes she is only with her son for his money. Meanwhile, Cherry realises that Laura is obsessed with her son. Laura is clingy and possessive over Daniel, and Cherry gets the impression that Laura doesn’t think anyone will be good enough for him. This leads to an inevitable war between the two women, with neither of them willing to share Daniel. But the question is, does either one of them know when to stop?
Seeing the television show first put certain expectations in my head of what reading this book would be like. For example, if you’ve seen the show, you will remember that we often see events happen twice. Once from Laura’s perspective and again from Cherry’s. Because things aren’t always as they seem. That left me expecting some chapters to be first-person from Laura’s POV, while others would be from Cherry’s. That turned out not to be the case. Instead, the book is written third person and hops between characters within the same chapter. This was a little jarring.
There are some minor differences between the show and the book, such as Laura’s profession. In the book, she’s a television producer, while in the show, she owns an art gallery. But to a larger extent, there are more similarities than differences. In the show, Laura and Cherry are excellently played by Robin Wright and Olivia Cooke, respectively. In both the show and the book, both Laura and Cherry are wholly unlikable and don’t appear to have a redeeming feature between them. It’s likely to leave the reader finding it difficult to root for either of them. While I largely felt sorry for Daniel (there’s a sentence I thought I’d never write), he also seems quite dumb in the way that he’s blind to what both his mother and girlfriend are doing.
For the most part, this was an easy read because I already knew the characters and the overall story direction. That said, there were still a few surprises along the way. I understand that this was the debut novel of Michelle Frances – who has a prior background working in television. I think there were a number of missed opportunities and flawed executions in this book. This is a rare event where I have to say I think the show was better than the book. But comparing the book to the show is a little like comparing twins. And even identical twins aren’t completely identical.
My Goodreads rating: ★★★☆☆ (3 stars)
