Verity: When the Book Tells a Different Story Than the Movie

What happens when a bestselling psychological thriller makes the leap from page to screen, but leaves some of its most compelling details behind? On this episode of the OD’ing on Movies Podcast, Dr. Jacobi Cleaver and Dr. Jacob Wilson welcome special guest Dr. Eric Harris, an experienced optometrist, educator, and avid reader who recently joined CooperVision as Senior Advisor for Professional Education and Development. Together, they unpack Verity , the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, exploring its shocking twists, complex characters, and the differences between the book and movie. Along the way, they uncover unexpected connections to clinical optometry, raising questions about perception, diagnostic uncertainty, and how easily appearances can be misleading. Topics Covered : A Psychological Thriller Built on Uncertainty What the Movie Left Behind The Ending That Changes Everything An Unexpected Connection to Clinical Practice A Psychological Thriller Built on Uncertainty At the center of Verity is Lowen, a struggling writer portrayed by Dakota Johnson, who is hired to complete a successful author’s unfinished book series. Her assignment takes her into the secluded home of Verity Crawford, played by Anne Hathaway, and Verity’s husband, Jeremy, portrayed by Josh Hartnett. What initially appears to be a professional opportunity quickly becomes unsettling. Verity is believed to be severely incapacitated following an accident, while Lowen discovers a hidden manuscript containing disturbing accounts of the family’s past. For Wilson, who entered the theater without reading the novel, the film’s atmosphere and suspense were effective. He particularly appreciated the uncertainty surrounding Verity’s condition and the increasingly disturbing events inside the house. Cleaver and Harris, however, approached the film with a different perspective. Having experienced the novel, both felt the adaptation sacrificed important psychological details that gave the original story its power. What the Movie Left Behind Harris, an avid audiobook listener who considers Verity one of his favorite recent reads, believed the film significantly reduced the complexity of its central characters. In the novel, Verity’s emotional dependence on Jeremy receives considerably more attention. Harris explained that her sense of identity and emotional well-being are deeply connected to how her husband perceives her. Cleaver emphasized another important omission: the novel portrays a family with three children rather than the two represented in the film. It also explores Lowen’s history of sleepwalking, a detail he believed could have strengthened the movie’s uncertainty and suspense. The differences extend to Jeremy. According to Cleaver, the novel presents a more troubling version of the character, including details suggesting he deliberately sought out Lowen and had previously attempted to kill Verity. For Harris, these omissions reveal a larger challenge in literary adaptations. A complex psychological thriller may struggle to preserve its character development within a film’s limited runtime. He suggested that a four-part series could have provided more opportunities to explore the shifting relationships, motivations, and moral ambiguity that distinguish the book. The End