One thing I notice myself doing while reading books is that I am often making comparisons to films. Whether they’re based on similar themes, characters, or overall plots, making connections between two pieces of media allows me to combine my love for reading and watching films.
If you liked Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022), you should read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Everything Everywhere All At Once follows Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant who runs a laundromat. It is up to her to stop the destruction of the multiverse, and in doing so, she must connect with parallel-universe versions of herself, all of which are vastly different from her original life.
The Midnight Library tells the story of a depressed woman named Nora Seed, who finds herself in a large library between life and death. Within this library, every book gives Nora the ability to visit all the different possible lives she could’ve lived.
Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Midnight Library explore the meaning of life through the unique lens of parallel universes. Both the film and the book have relatable and flawed protagonists, allowing audiences and readers to feel connected to their stories as they embark on their multiversal adventures.
If you liked Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), you should read Cleopatra and Frankenstein by Coco Mellors
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind follows Clementine and Joel, a couple that recently split up. They both undergo procedures to erase each other from their memories, Clementine does it first out of anger and impulse, and Joel follows out of spite and hurt. As Joel relives his memories with her as they begin to fade, he realizes that he still loves her, but it may be too late to fix his mistake.
Cleopatra and Frankenstein tells the story of Cleo and Frank, who meet at a New Year’s Eve party in New York City and impulsively get married just months after being together. The book spans over about a year and throughout the months, both characters go through changes, and their relationship experiences many ups and downs along the way.
While Cleopatra and Frankenstein lacks the memory-erasing element of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the protagonists and their love stories are still very similar. Cleo and Frank’s dynamic essentially parallels that of Clementine and Joel’s, and both relationships illustrate love, loss, and grief.
If you liked Don’t Worry Darling (2022), you should read The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin
Don’t Worry Darling takes place in a 1950s-like utopian experimental town called Victory, where all the men work on a top-secret project while the women follow the stereotypes of the idyllic American housewife. One of the women, Alice Chambers, begins suspecting something sinister is being kept from its residents by the man who runs it and stops at nothing to uncover the truth.
The Stepford Wives, which has two film adaptations (1975 & 2004), tells the story of a family moving from New York City to a small suburban town called Stepford. Joanna notices something unusual about the other women in the town, disturbed at their subservient behavior despite them formerly being career-driven and independent. As Joanna learns more about the history of Stepford, she becomes more convinced that the men are behind the women’s eerie transformations.
Many called Don’t Worry Darling “The Stepford Wives of the 2020s”, as many of the elements between the two stories are remarkably similar. Both focus on gender roles, men’s reactions to feminism, and suburban dystopia. The protagonists of the film and book are also alike, sharing similar traits and the determination to find out the truth behind their towns.
If you liked American Psycho (2000), you should read A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
American Psycho is a film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ 1991 novel of the same name. But most people associate the title with Christian Bale’s chilling performance as Patrick Bateman in the cult classic film. Patrick Bateman is a young and wealthy stockbroker living in 1980s New York City who must hide his murderous alter ego from his friends and coworkers.
A Certain Hunger follows Dorothy Daniels, a food critic turned serial killer, who narrates this fictional tell-all autobiography from prison. She shares her captivating life story, which includes her rise to success as a food critic and the events that led to her imprisonment.
Both American Psycho and A Certain Hunger delve into the minds of psychopaths as the villain protagonists share their unsettling stories. Patrick Bateman and Dorothy Daniels and their narratives are strikingly similar, with critics calling A Certain Hunger “a feminist horror version of American Psycho.”
Whether you’re a film buff or a bookworm, comparing books and films is a unique way to learn about themes, characters, and storylines.
References
A Certain Hunger. (2020, September 21). Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-951213-14-5
Turner, K. (2022, September 26). Is ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ the ‘Stepford Wives’ of the 2020s? The Cut. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.thecut.com/2022/09/dont-worry-darling-stepford-wives-film-analysis.html