6 Books to Read Before They Hit Screens in 2022
Conversations
With Friends - Sally Rooney
Having single-handedly revived BBC Three with an adaptation of Normal People that had everyone sad, horny and creating fan accounts dedicated to Connell’s chain, the BBC is taking another trip around the Rooney block. Conversations with Friends follows best friends and former lovers Frances and Bobbi as they become entangled in the lives of married couple Melissa and Nick. The same creative team as Normal People is at the helm, so more scenes of sexually charged eye contact await.
Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams
Okay, there’s no evidence that Queenie will be hitting screens this year, but I’m trying to manifest it. Candice Carty-Williams has announced she is creating a series based on her bestselling novel for Channel 4, but that’s all we know so far. For me, Queenie is a book that will translate so well to the screen, given the richness of the characters Carty-Williams creates and how real the story felt. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for any information on the progress of this adaptation!
Everything I Know About Love - Dolly Alderton
If anyone doesn’t know who Dolly Alderton is now, they are definitely going to once Everything I Know About Love becomes a BBC One series later this year. The semi-fictionalised adaptation of Alderton’s 2018 memoir will focus on childhood best friends Birdy and Maggie (in place of real-life Dolly and Farly) as they navigate dating and friendships in London house shares and sticky-carpeted pubs. I have a suspicion that 2022 is going to launch Dolly Alderton to post-Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge levels of attention, so read the book now if you want to get in before the mega-hype.
Pachinko -
Min Jin Lee
Everyone in the book world raves about Pachinko, and Apple obviously agreed with fans of the novel, turning it into a series that will air in March. The sweeping multi-generational saga set across Japan, Korea and America is a book I have been meaning to read for a while, and the new series has made me even more intrigued. It sounds like if Apple pulls off an adaptation that does the book justice, this could be some of the best TV of the year.
She Said - Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey
She Said explores Harvey Weinstein’s fall from grace penned by the journalists who investigated and broke the story. The non-fiction hit is now being made into a film with Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan playing reporters Kantor and Twohey. As the book tackles the wider culture of sexual harassment in Hollywood and how Weinstein remained protected for so long, this adaptation is bound to attract discussion as Hollywood grapples with Weinstein’s legacy.
Heartstopper - Alice Oseman
Alice Oseman’s queer webcomic-turned-graphic-novel series is now set to become a Netflix show and the wholesome gay vibes are already calling out to me. Heartstopper follows British teens Nick and Charlie as they develop a relationship while at an all-boys grammar school. I can see this filling the hole—no pun intended—of Netflix’s Sex Education, only if Sex Education was more gay. Have I convinced you yet?