It’s the age old question of Book vs Film…we’ve seen adaptations many times before (with varying success!): Twilight Saga, The Hunger Games and Divergent trilogies; The Mortal Instruments, Beautiful Creatures and most recently The Fault in Our Stars.
We’re left to question: will the characters be as you imagined…? Will the story be the same…? Perhaps you love the way a book can be re-imagined and interpreted for the big screen. Perhaps, like me, however much you try not to, you now read a new book and imagine how it will be made into a film and who would play the characters.
And now we are about to embark on another adaptation. This August Paper Towns will hit the screens.
A firm favourite in the Seven Stories office as well as obviously being a huge hit amongst fans of YA around the globe – Paper Towns the film will have much to live up to.
For those of you who have not yet read the book – shame on you! But never fear, why not start now and join in Guardian Books’ #PaperTownsRead readalong?
The story begins with Quentin ‘Q’ Jacobson tucked up in bed at 9pm as usual (because, we are told, “that is his bedtime”) only to find his much lusted after neighbour and lifelong crush Margo Roth Speigelman’s face pressed up against his bedroom window. This is the moment Q has been waiting for and the two teenagers head off on a heady all-night tour of their home town whilst Margo wreaks havoc and revenge.
This is the last time Q sees Margo. From then on – the mystery surrounding her disappearance can only be pieced together by cryptic clues that Q and his friends must follow.
Margo’s character is only ever defined by how other people view her. Enigmatic, selfish to the core, beautiful and aloof, mischievous and slightly unhinged or delicate and deeply troubled. Q idolises her. Lacey – the best friend has a complicated, competitive opinion of Margo although loyally joins the boys to find her. Margo’s parents rather callously declare “they are done” and change the locks on discovering Margo has disappeared. It is impossible to fully understand who Margo really is…but this is a question that we the reader are left to answer.
Paper Towns is a brilliantly written, funny, painfully honest adventure that takes Q on an investigative journey to try and save Margo. I love how the story is not just a mystery about a missing teenager but also about true friendship; understanding that people are not always how they appear and sometimes we need to look beneath the bravado.
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What book would you make into a film?
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What do you think makes for a good adaptation…it’s a tricky one to call!
Hannah x
LoveYA 