“Gone Forever”, to watch on Netflix, is adapted from the eleventh novel by Harlan Coben, “Gone for good”, published in 2002. In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche, the author shares his feelings on the differences between the book and series.
Being a successful author means seeing your works change, sometimes even transform, when they are transposed to the screen. For some, this is a real frustration. The most famous example remains that of Stephen King, unhappy with the adaptation of his novel Shining made by the great Stanley Kubrick. With Gone Forever, the writer Harlan Coben must, too, deal with the proposals and ideas of the screenwriters.
As with the other series adapted from his books, the action here is relocated, moving from a district of New Jersey, to the United States, to the South of France, to Nice. Among a handful of notable differences, there is especially that around the character of the brother, played by Nicolas Duvauchelle. His involvement in the plot is only revealed at the end of the program, during the denouement, unlike the book. These freedoms are mainly taken to keep the viewer in suspense and maintain the suspense.
In the columns of Sunday Newspaper, Harlan Coben says he doesn’t take a dim view of these changes. “I have always thought that the best adaptation of a literary work is the one that deviates from it the most, he says. IYou have to betray a novel to succeed in a series, which should not be satisfied with being a copy and paste. The atmosphere of the book, you will find it only by reading the book!“
Magali Bragard / Netflix Nicolas Duvauchelle and Finnegan Oldfield in “Gone forever”.
In 2006, Guillaume Canet was the first to adapt one of Harlan Coben’s books with Ne le di nobody, a major success in theaters. The novelist really understood the importance of a transposition during this experience. “We spent a lot of time thinking about what changes to make to the original story., he recalls. Finding a little agreed to show men in suits and ties at a charity evening, he preferred to stage Jean Rochefort as part of a jumping competition. I had found it perfect.“
Nevertheless, Harlan Coben closely follows the evolution of the projects and allows himself a few small remarks, in particular on the dialogues, the choice of music or the rhythm. “I am each time very attentive to the fact that the suspense does not kill the emotion, and at the same time I make sure that the twists grab the viewer when he is not expecting it.. “A bet that seems to have been held on Gone forever.
