E.L. James and her publishing company Vintage Books have announced this morning that James will be releasing a “new version” of Fifty Shades of Grey, focusing entirely on Christian Grey’s point of view. The announcement comes just a few weeks ahead of the release date, June 18, chosen because it’s Grey’s birthday, which I will remind you is the birthday of a fictional character. Excuse me, one moment…
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
*wipes tear*
I’m sorry, where were we? Oh, the sexy sex book. While different character POVs can be a clever plot contrivance in the right circumstances — Season 4 of Arrested Development is the first thing that comes to mind — Fifty Shades of Grey does not seem to strike me as the type of layered, tapestried storytelling that would benefit from such a device. In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, James seems to disagree with me.
James [said] of her decision to tell the story from Christian’s perspective, “Christian is a complex character, and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past. Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story. It’s been a great pleasure to return to my happy place — writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe, and working with the fantastic team at Vintage.”
I’ve never read any Fifty Shades of Grey books in their entirety, but of the excerpts I’ve read, James does not seem particularly adept at writing in the voice of a 21-year-old female, which she herself actually was at some point. So, the hell if I know how she’ll pull off getting in the head of a 27-year-old man. Bets are on… over/under 500 on how many times Grey — a high-powered, wealthy entrepreneur — says the word “jeez.”
E.L. James first made the announcement on Instagram this morning:
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)