Unfilmable

There are various reasons a book is deemed unfilmable. Stanley Kubrick seemed to embrace the challenge with A Clockwork Orange & Lolita. Technical advances helped bring films such as Where the Wild Things Are or Life of Pi to the screen. And even daunting works such as Cloud Atlas or Lord of the Rings have eventually been adapted. But there is one book that still seems to be unfilmable - The Expendable Man.

Most film noir fans are familiar with Dorothy B. Hughes. Her works such as Ride The Pink Horse (1947) and In a Lonely Place (1950) are staples of the genre. In 1963 she wrote The Expendable Man, another exceptional work that would seem perfect for an adaptation if not for one major plot twist. Experiencing this twist as you read the book is part of the fun - and won't be spoiled here... But if you enjoy film noir, this is a fun summer read.