The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair - Was the book better?

#bookvsmovie

The quarantine has taken hold of all of our routines, held them upside down and shaken the bejesus out of it. What we’re left with nowadays are the bare necessities. I shout a hundred prayers to the lord for giving us the internet in this time of unexpected house arrest. My generation, the controversial Millennials, is the last to grow up without digital platforms dominating our lives, and yet I cannot imagine being on my own and having absolutely no way to talk to people.

Amongst the effort towards keeping our brains entertained by way of bingeing different series, I came across The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair. A 10 episode limited series adapted from a book by the same name written by Joel Dicker, this was a godsend. I’ve been struggling to read again and I am inwardly insistent on focussing on reading rather than watching TV non stop.

To solve this problem, I thought I’d like a pulpy book but with heart. A mystery that kept me hooked and at the same time, wasn’t a John Grisham or what-have-yous. The biggest bonus however, was knowing that McDreamy was a part of the limited series.

Having grown up on 15 years of Grey’s Anatomy, which is 50% of my life, I cannot let Derek Shepherd go that easy. And so began this journey.

I made it a point to purchase and read the book first because I was fairly certain that they will either change the plotline to make it more exciting, or I will need the knowledge of the book to actually know what the hell is going on. You see, the first thing that goes out the window is underlying context. Why a person is driven to do the things they do.

I also made it a point to order the book that didn’t have Patrick Dempsey’s face on the cover, for no matter how much I like him, I cannot stand the idea of having purchased the book that came after the series, rather than the other way round.

It took me more than a week to get into the rhythm of the book. It’s 600 odd pages long and translated from French. Initially, I thought the writing was clunky and a lot of the dialogue was stilted, but towards the midpoint of the book, either it gets better, or your investment in the story has grown to such an extent that I finished pages 300 to the end in one sitting. 6 hours of sitting.

The very next day, armed with the familiar loss of a finished book and inability to accept that, I started the series.

I don’t know what it was about the series though, maybe it was the AC that was on in that room, but somehow both my parents showed up and we binged that damn thing, 10 hours worth of material, in 2 days.

That’s a lot of time and attention granted by the folks that they usually don’t have enough of to spare. Someone is always falling asleep, or going to the kitchen or indulging in heavy WhatsAppery, but this series held their attention and very convincingly too.

Coming to the plot and the main comparisons, ultimately, I can sum it up by saying that the series is extremely true to the book. There are no modifications, nor are there extra plot points for embellishment, in fact, this is the first show I could say, was not an insult to the book.

Of course, the second show about which I felt that way, Normal People, is also on my list of reviews.

The small, sleepy town of Somerset/Somerdale witnesses the arrival of two famous writers, 30 years apart. Harry Quebert, the man who placed the first domino, and Marcus Goldman, his student, the one who toppled the last one to reveal the full picture

The story begins with Nola, a 15 year old girl, being introduced to Harry, a famous 30 something writer from New York. 33 years later, her remains are dug up from Harry’s backyard. Was this an illegitimate affair gone wrong? Could his love for a 15 year old drive him to murder? The whole town descends upon Harry Quebert as Marcus Goldman, his favourite student and author, arrives to unearth the real truth.

Both men are on a mission to know Nola Kellergan at a deeper level. Nola, who stays frozen at 15 throughout the story encompassing almost 50 years, is a girl who captivates the imagination of both these men. Harry’s love for her and his struggle to accept or denounce it takes centre stage, while Marcus’ discovery of her real story brings him closer to her than he expected.

I will say this though, Nola from the series is a much better character than the book, for in the book she comes across as a heroine from the 50s. Although this adds to her impulsively emotional character, it makes her dialogue sound so outdated, it stands out in the book.

On the other hand, Harry from the book comes across as a smarter, stronger character than Dempsey’s portrayal. The McDreamy version is always on the brink of giving up. His anger is momentary, his sorrow is easily explained.

The tropes used in the storyline might be outdated. In fact, my parents picked out the suspects pretty early on, but it still makes for an engaging watch and read. The role of Marcus Goldman has been essayed beautifully and in a more fleshed out and palpable way. The sepia tinged past, though expected, works very well to separate timelines. The standout would be the background track though, not too jarring and not too mysterious, it lends itself to the pace of the story beautifully.

I enjoyed both the movie and the book almost equally. The eternal question that remains is, did the imagination of the makers meet my imagination in a convincing manner? Was the world they created a match for the world the author creates? The answer here is a resounding yes.

All in all: Is the book better than the movie (TV series)?

No, they’re both really good!

I’d say this is evenly matched. A surprising and heartening result.