Laurie Halse Anderson's 'Speak' will be adapted as a graphic novel
Laurie Halse Anderson鈥檚 novel 鈥淪peak鈥� will be adapted into a graphic novel, scheduled for release in fall 2016.
Anderson will adapt 鈥淪peak鈥� for the new format, with illustrations to be handled by Emily Carroll.
鈥淪peak鈥� centers on a girl named Melinda who is raped and shies away from speaking after her ordeal, focusing instead on her artwork. The novel was originally published in 1999 and was a National Book Award finalist in the Young People's Literature category. It was adapted into a film starring Kristen Stewart as Melinda which aired on Showtime and Lifetime in 2004.
鈥淚 have wanted to do a graphic novel of Speak for some time,鈥� Anderson told of the new project. 鈥淥nce I saw how graphic novels were becoming so popular, and given that Melinda finds her voice through her art, it鈥檚 the perfect YA novel to be told in this format.鈥�
Anderson said of adapting the novel that 鈥渢he fun part with this adaptation is figuring out how few words I can get away with. Some of my favorite moments in the novel are those when Melinda can鈥檛 speak because she is so hampered by her depression and the hard things that have happened to her. Now I鈥檒l get the chance to turn that over to Emily, who gets to show readers how those silent moments look and feel. It will be exciting to see her artistic interpretation.鈥�
Meanwhile, Carroll said she feels the challenge of adapting such an acclaimed novel.
鈥淭he novel has meant so much to so many people since its release that it鈥檚 a lot to live up to,鈥� she told Publishers Weekly. 鈥淏alancing how Melinda sees the world with the actual world itself is a lot to keep in mind when you're translating that internal struggle to visuals.鈥�
The graphic novel will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
