Based on Jean Hanff Korelitz's 'You Should Have Known'

[formerlyfreedom]

A place to discuss the book The Undoing is based on!

[Valentine]

I just finished the book because I couldn't wait to watch it all play out during the show (will still watch, though). I guess they are skipping the whole Grace wrote a book part of the plot. I'm fine with that being left out because it was so obviously pointing to her not having the perfect marriage. It seemed a little clunky and took away some of the suspense.

 

[LilaFowler]

I haven't read the book in a minute but I don't recall courtroom scenes (which we see in the trailer). I take it this will deviate from the book quite a bit.

[MadLove]

Apparently from what I have read the show departs from the book entirely after episode two.

[NeenerNeener]

Just finished the book and looked at the episode descriptions in IMDB...yeah, this show doesn't have much in common with the book at all other than the overall premise. But I suppose if you've hired Hugh Grant to play Nicole Kidman's husband you'll want him in more than just the first episode.

[CarpeFelis]

I just finished the book. They’ve certainly upped the drama and the glamour considerably for the series. Near the end of the book, when Grace returned to the beach cottage (certainly not the Hamptons-style mansion shown in the series!) I almost expected Jonathan to be hiding in the house planning to abduct her. But no, just a very narcissistic letter in which he lied to her about his whereabouts.

I found Book Grace thoroughly unlikeable in the beginning. She was smug, snobby, and either willfully ignorant or incredibly obtuse for someone who was supposed to be intelligent and highly observant of behavioral nuances. Of course the point of the novel was that she herself had been taken in far worse than any of her patients, but she was still annoying AF. I think casting Nicole Kidman for the show was a good idea. IMO Nicole is likeable enough to make Show Grace more sympathetic than Book Grace, even acting as weird as she is.

[Broderbits]

I read this book just before the series premiered because I like to be prepared, but I needn't have bothered. The show has so little to do with the book, not only in small details but also in the larger plot points, it's amazing that the author got paid.

[Kiss my mutt]

Or signed off on it. The money must have been worth it. We’re  talking two different stories except for the murder. Both good, but not even close other than the names, wait, even some of the names were different! Elena’s name was Malaga and Jonathan had a polish last name in the book if I remember correctly. 
 

[LilaFowler]

I think that Jonathan could still be the killer, even though I've written lengthy posts describing why I think it's someone else.

To my recollection, the basic premise of the book was Grace coming to terms with the realities of her life and marriage. In the end, she gives a letter containing his general whereabouts to the authorities. (Someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.)

In the series, we still don't know where the murder weapon is. Could be that she finds it and that's the stand-in for the condemning letter here.

[heatherchandler]

On 11/3/2020 at 9:57 AM, CarpeFelis said:

 

I found Book Grace thoroughly unlikeable in the beginning. She was smug, snobby, and either willfully ignorant or incredibly obtuse for someone who was supposed to be intelligent and highly observant of behavioral nuances. Of course the point of the novel was that she herself had been taken in far worse than any of her patients, but she was still annoying AF. I think casting Nicole Kidman for the show was a good idea. IMO Nicole is likeable enough to make Show Grace more sympathetic than Book Grace, even acting as weird as she is.

I'm reading the book now.  I am getting that she is snobby too, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to get that or not.

 

[hoodooznoodooz]

23 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

I'm reading the book now.  I am getting that she is snobby too, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to get that or not.

 

Does Grace have any conversations with Elena in the book?

[CarpeFelis]

1 hour ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

Does Grace have any conversations with Elena in the book?

Not that I can remember. Málaga (her name in the book; Elena was the baby girl’s name) was described as almost a nonentity and Grace hadn’t interacted with her much. The way Elena sort of stalks Grace in the show never happened in the book.

[heatherchandler]

On 11/16/2020 at 6:30 PM, Broderbits said:

I read this book just before the series premiered because I like to be prepared, but I needn't have bothered. The show has so little to do with the book, not only in small details but also in the larger plot points, it's amazing that the author got paid.

Just finished the book and OMG it was terrible!  And the ending was one of the worst book endings ever.

[carrps]

On 11/19/2020 at 4:37 PM, CarpeFelis said:

The way Elena sort of stalks Grace in the show never happened in the book.

But it's very David E. Kelley!

[laprin]

On 11/27/2020 at 2:54 PM, heatherchandler said:

Just finished the book and OMG it was terrible!  And the ending was one of the worst book endings ever.

Thanks for the heads up. This series was so disappointing I was prepared to read the book in the hope that it was better.  

[MaggieG]

On 11/27/2020 at 2:54 PM, heatherchandler said:

Just finished the book and OMG it was terrible!  And the ending was one of the worst book endings ever.

I probably won't read the book since watching the show but I am interested in how the book ended. Would you mind putting it in a spoiler tag?

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, MaggieG said:

I probably won't read the book since watching the show but I am interested in how the book ended. Would you mind putting it in a spoiler tag?

Sure!  

Spoiler

Maybe others think the book is good, I found it very anti-climactic, and it just kind of ended.  I thought maybe my e-book was missing the end.  🙂  I have never been so disappointed, it was a total dud of a book.  Why they thought it would make a good series, I do not know.

So, the whole premise of the book was that Grace wrote a book called "You Should Have Known," about how women are surprised to find that their husbands are cheaters, or losers, or assholes when they should have known all along, as they have been that way since they were dating, and there were always signs and clues but women ignore them.  Not sure why they didn't use the fictional book in the mini-series, as that was the whole point - that she should have known he was a sociopath or whatever.  And there is some weirdness with Elena (or Melega? I think is her name in the book), but she doesn't kiss Grace and she doesn't show her vag to her in the gym LOL.  She is weird and nurses the baby at the meeting in the book.

In the book, jonathan's parents and brother live on Long Island, and he's not English.  The parents end up adopting the baby.  And Grace lets them see Henry.  Grace also reunites with her friend from long ago, who didn't like Jonathan.

In the book, Jonathan never comes back, he doesn't show up at the lake house, he is on the run - he stole Grace's mother's jewelry and had taken a ton of money from their bank account.  Jonathan ends up writing Grace a letter and he asks her to meet him and gives clues to where he is hiding out, but Grace calls the police and gives them the letter and somehow the police track him down to another location.  And that's it.  There is no trial, and Henry never hides the murder weapon.  

Grace has Henry change schools to the school by the lake house, and she ends up dating a guy who lives on the other side of the lake... she sells her apartment.  The police ask her for some of her old stuff for a shelter.  So, that's really it.  I was waiting for something to happen for the whole second half of the book.  I was disappointed.

Why are people online clamoring for a second season??  It ended, that's it.  What else is there to tell?  Are people THAT bored?

[MaggieG]

Thanks @heatherchandler!

[statsgirl]

Thanks @heatherchandler.

Spoiler

That really sounds 'meh'.