Why is the book so often better than the movie?
I believe it’s because on the other side of a book there exists a more
participatory audience. The reader brings their own imagination into the
reading of the text or dialogue. No matter how cinematic the writing or how
descriptive the author is of his or her characters and places, readers add
their own textures and colors and even expectations to the experience.

Consider, as an example, the physicality of the protagonist and other
characters. When you read, they become part of your imagination, not just the
authors.

What is beauty?

In writing The Fallen I wanted the female reader to imagine themselves as
Rowan so there is very little description throughout the book of what Rowan
really looks like. We learn various things about her along the way because of
what other characters say about her; however, I wanted most of it left to the
reader’s imagination.

Why? Because I describe Rowan as beautiful, but beauty is subjective.

I once played Ann in All My Sons, a play by Arthur Miller, and there is a line in it
about how beautiful Ann is. This line is said before the actor arrives on stage
and so every night when I heard that line I would cringe a bit – knowing that
half of the people in the audience would probably be disappointed when I
came out on stage. This is not false modesty, but reality. We all have a
particular idea of what is beautiful, and it doesn’t always corollate with
someone else’s standards.

But in a movie we see the characters. The Casting Director has made a choice
about which actors best fit the roles, and the audience is either happy with
these decisions or appalled by them. Similarly, when reading a book we hear
the actors’ voices and their intonation in our own heads. While reading we
become part director, part actor and part casting director. It is the reader’s
own personality and preferences that we bring to the material.

Passive observer or active participant?

In a movie or series you are a more passive observer. It is not your imagination,
but the imagination of the director, the costume designer, the set designer,
and the actors’ choices that are on display. Sometimes these elements come
together beautifully; sometimes not.

I think that is why reading is such an engaging experience. Why we get “lost” in
a book. Why we are transported by an extraordinary novel. In this experience
the reader becomes the co-author of the book.

Q: What movie or mini-series was better than the book?
Q: Name a casting choice that you feel was perfect for the book?
Q: Can you think of a casting choice that fell flat?
Q: Can you think of an adaptation of a book that was truly terrible?
Q: If you’ve read The Fallen what actors would you like to see play the following characters?
Rowan
Christian
Ash
Kahlil
Sebastian