This isn’t a recap of ITBT the book, that’s for another day, this is about ITBT the MOVIE, so let’s get into that, shall we? I’m going to focus mainly on the movie, and not but SO much on what the differences are from the book. I have to give the book another try, that much is clear. How does that mindset work? How much, day to day, do you let yourself remember about the fact that you have a lifetime of history with your husband BECAUSE HE IS YOUR BROTHER?! Like, do you ever mention it? Do you pretend it isn’t so? You have to build up a web of lies to tell everyone outside of your relationship and how much do you let yourself believe too? We get to see some of that-how the attic is still with them, how very NOT over the trauma and the rage Cathy is, but we see it all filtered through her sons rather than from her point of view and when I first read ITBT, I was disappointed by that. I mean (SPOILER ALERT) Petals ends with Cathy and Chris deciding to get married and move to California to live a new life, and that’s…well that’s something I am interested in reading about (sorta). Neither of them gets a chance to be a real character in PotW, and I’m still much more interested in what Cathy is up to at this point in the series. Plus, and I’ll be honest here, I just don’t really care that much about Jory and Bart until they’re adults.

It’s just so…hard? Much like with My Sweet Audrina, it’s tough to read about drama and mind games when they’re happening to children, and unlike FitA, Bart and Jory don’t even have a support system of each other, much less a makeshift family. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it much on the blog as of yet, but If There Be Thorns is my least favorite of the Dollanganger series.

Did you see this? Did you SEE this movie? What a wacky ride this one was.

Thorns in the attic series