What’s It Like to See Your Bestselling Book Turn Into a Megahit Netflix Series? We Asked Elin Hilderbrand

For more than two decades, Elin Hilderbrand has been giving her readers pure escapism via her bestselling novels—and finally, the big screen has expanded the novelist's magic. The Perfect Couple, Hilderbrand's first murder mystery, which came out five years ago, is now a hit Netflix limited series with a fireworks cast including Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber. "It's THE dream," Hilderbrand tells The Sunday Paper. "There are no downsides to this."

We wanted to know Hilderbrand's take on the adaptation process. For a writer as seasoned as her, one who has churned out 30 novels, most of them set on Nantucket with a particular aesthetic, what did she learn from having her work expand in others' hands? The novelist, who says she will be retiring from writing her Nantucket bestsellers, chatted with us about the dream of having her work adapted and her biggest takeaways.

A CONVERSATION WITH ELIN HILDERBRAND

Your book is now a hit limited series. What has this entire process been like? Has it been joyful, painful, a dream?

It's THE dream. It has been, from start to finish, a dream come true. There are no downsides to this. This is something I've been wanting for 24 years. I've had a lot of other projects go upside-down and sideways and hit the dead letter office. But for this one, although the path was meandering, every step brought me to where we ended, which is this incredible cast, amazing director, phenomenal film runner, and what I think is such an entertaining, binge-able, addictive, beautiful show.

You've written so many books with detailed plots and characters for over two decades. How did you build trust in the creative process of having others adapt and take control of your work?

From my first conversation with [show-runner] Jenna [Lamia], I knew it was going to be fine because I knew that she understood the basic nature of Nantucket, which is understatement. It may come from confidence in the fact that we're in the most beautiful place in the world, so we don't need to be flashy, but that is the aesthetic that rules this place: People here are understated. There is a lot of wealth and very little flash on this island. We have no neon signs. The houses have gray shingles. Everything has to go through the HDC [Historic District Commission]. There are ways that things are done here, and everybody who lives here, either for the summer or year-round like me, subscribes to it. We want the place to be beautiful, tasteful, and esthetically pleasing, and Jenna understood that from the beginning.

It is fascinating when people are from a certain place and are protective of how that place is portrayed in a book or on TV.

Exactly! There was a hot minute when they thought they might shoot the series in North Carolina, and I was not for that. It would never be the same. They ended up shooting it in Chatham on Cape Cod in a spot that looks the most like Monomoy on Nantucket, more than any place could. I was very happy that the producers decided that was what they wanted to go with because it has a Cape and Island feel. Also, there was no possibility they could have shot it all on Nantucket. Nantucket is too small, and the police department wouldn't let them shoot anything between June, July, and August that would have disrupted life here.

There are differences between the book and the screen adaptation. How do you feel about this?

My overarching philosophy with anybody developing one of my books into a show is that the book already exists. My readers can go out and read it. I watch a lot of prestige television, and I deeply comprehend that you can't include every detail. You can't include every storyline. It's just not possible. I wanted Jenna, [director] Susanna [Bier], and the producers to make the most compelling TV they could. So, are there some storylines, especially some backstory to the love affairs, lost in this? Yes. But I was swept away by them focusing on the murder mystery, and I think everybody else was too.

What was your role in the limited series adaptation?

I'm an executive producer. From the beginning, I worked with Jenna, but I really just worked on the Nantucket aspects of the script. I didn't have any involvement in storyline or character development. That's all in the book; she could choose and change what she wanted. But as far as how Nantucketers talk, and details such as where the chief would get a beer, I was always helping with those details. And I was generally always lending my very vocal support to everything that they were doing.

What have you learned about yourself from this process, personally and creatively?

I had wondered why it had never happened before, and maybe I even felt a bit ignored. Then once I saw what it entailed to bring one of my stories to the screen, I was like, Okay, wow, this was enormous! It's not easy to bring an authentic Nantucket experience to the screen. I now have a new appreciation for how much work goes into this. Those six hours of television took months and months and millions of dollars to produce.

Also, I embraced the idea that everything happens for a reason. My daughter always says this. Of course, it's a cliche, but the more I think about it, the more I see that this is one of the truths of the world. Everything happens for a reason. This project could have gone any number of ways, but it was supposed to go this way, and I am so thrilled. 

Elin Hilderbrand is the bestselling author of 30 novels, a mother of three, and an avid home cook. Her book The Perfect Couple, published in 2018, is now a limited Netflix series. You can learn more at elinhilderbrand.net and watch the series here.