25 modern book-to-screen adaptations that didn’t let us down

You

On a less fun and charming note than the previous items, Netflix recently adapted You, a bestselling thriller novel written by Caroline Kepnes. Kepnes’ book is told through the eyes of a stalker in a jarring second-person narrative, and it chronicles his relationship and obsession with a college student named Beck. As he continues to wiggle his way into her life, he goes further and further to ensure her affections are his alone.

The Netflix series released its first season of You last year, and its story didn’t deviate much from the original work. Our stalker, Joe, is played by Penn Badgley — and if anything, his interpretation of the character is even more chilling because of how charming he can be. The acting and story told in the adaptation emphasize the fact that not all stalkers and murderers are recognizably scary. Many of them appear to be ordinary people who we’d befriend or date.

The recreation of Kepnes’ story also succeeds in putting the viewer in Joe’s shoes, even as our brains rail against everything he’s doing. This is the goal of the second-person narration in the book, and the series manages to translate that to the screen, which is actually quite impressive.

As with most television adaptations, You also added certain subplots that didn’t exist in the book — but they were interesting enough and certainly didn’t detract from the overall story. The series also has a second season on its way this fall, which will hopefully delve further into Joe’s messed up psyche and provide some comeuppance for everything he did during season one.