I’ve always been jealous of those people who read the book first and then go on to watch the TV or movie based in it. They always seemed so smug, like they know something the rest of us don't. They get to say things like "That didn’t happen in the book," or "They completely changed that character," and I had to believe what they were saying because I was never one for books. The only time I read the book before seeing the movie was the last 2 Harry Potter books and even then I already knew what the characters were like from watching the first few movies.
Now that audiobooks are in my life, it has changed everything. I am listening to them every chance that I get and so far, have listened to some great ones. In fact, I feel really lucky that every book I have chosen, I've enjoyed. One day I started listening to The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary. I didn’t know anything about it, I hadn’t heard the hype, I didn’t even know it existed before I pressed play and started listening.
The story is about Tiffy Moore and Leon Twomey, two complete strangers with opposite schedules who agree to share a one-bedroom London flat and the same bed without ever actually meeting. Tiffy uses the flat at night after a breakup leaves her desperate for somewhere affordable, while Leon, a palliative care nurse working nights, sleeps there during the day. They communicate entirely through Post-it notes, slowly building a connection while dealing with their own messy lives, emotional baggage, and in Tiffy’s case, an ex-boyfriend who is way more than just a bit annoying.
When I was writing a blog post, I Googled the name of the book to make sure I had the author correct and that’s when I discovered it had been made into a TV show. For Channel 5 of all places. I hadn’t seen a trailer or anyone mention it, it had completely passed me by. Suddenly I was excited because this was my moment. I had finally done it the right way round, the book before the TV show. Watching the TV version after listening to the book was such a strange experience, in a good way. I wasn’t annoyed or rolling my eyes every five minutes, I was more curious! The TV show gets the heart of the story but it did feel different.
Tiffy, for example, in the book you hear all the little doubts she brushes off, the way she laughs things away, the way she slowly realises that her past relationship wasn’t just a bit rubbish, it actually did some damage. On screen, she’s still warm and likeable but she feels more confident early on. Leon is where I really noticed the change. In the audiobook his voice is such a big part of who he is. Those short sentences, the pauses, the way he thinks. On TV, he’s still kind and gentle but without hearing his thoughts, he becomes a bit more average when, in the audiobook Leon has something extra. The relationship itself also feels different. In the book, everything takes its time with the notes, missed chances and waiting around but in the show things move along a bit quicker, which I get. TV has a pace to keep but I did miss that slow build.
By the end of the series, I found myself doing the thing I’d always watched other people do. Comparing, not in a nasty way but just noticing. Understanding why some things were changed, why others were left out but thinking the book did it better. That’s when it hit me. I’ve become one of those people!
The book is deeper, the audiobook especially. The TV show is comforting and easy to watch and does a decent job of staying true to the story but if you want the full experience, the one that makes you feel a bit wobbly in places, the book wins! If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be sitting there judging a Channel 5 adaptation based on an audiobook I found by accident, I’d have laughed. Yet here we are. Turns out, I just needed to listen instead of read and now I finally get why people love being able to say the book was better!
What book do you think is better than the TV show or movie?
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