I made several failed attempts at reading William Faulkner before I ended up with As I Lay Dying, which I inhaled in one sitting, and I've since read most of his novels and never looked back. The prose is not easy to understand and it takes some adjustments, which is why As I Lay Dying is the Faulkner novel I will always recommend to anyone new to his writing. And it remains my favorite, even after having read quite a few of his other novels.

James Franco went through an almost embarrassingly public introduction to Faulkner and made two terrible movies as a result. Below is the trailer for his adaptation for As I Lay Dying, which looks terrible and seems to miss any of the novel's ambiguities or subtleties. It also seems to ignore the novel's formal elements, including the highly disjointed and experimental prose, non-linear narrative and any/all moments of surrealism. It makes it seem like a drama whose climax involves a bridge giving out, which is missing the point, entirely. Nevertheless, it is funny to watch, especially if you've already read the novel. I will readily admit, however, that I occasionally develop crushes on fictional characters, and his casting choices really validated my love for Jewel. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and skip this undoubtedly terrible adaptation and read it instead.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.