Well, I for one certainly didn’t expect to be writing another review so quickly. But I suppose Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is a novella, sitting pretty at a mere 128 pages, so it did not take long to finish at all. It’s another book that I decided to read because I’ve seen the film loads of times. It’s a fantastic film, and often cited as one of the best films of all time. Surely the novella that spawned such a film will be of equal quality? Well… yes and no.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is the story of Andy Dufresne’s incarceration in Shawshank State Prison, and his challenges in adjusting to prison life after a conviction for a crime he claims he did not commit. All this told in the memoirs/diary of his prison friend Red, the man who can get you things.
It’s interesting perhaps that I wrote about King’s incredible character voices in my previous review, but I felt that it wasn’t nearly as strong in Shawshank. That’s not to say that Red is a bad character, or that the writing is less engaging or more difficult to read, but it didn’t land nearly as well for me this time. There could be an argument for my experience being hampered by seeing the film - Morgan Freeman’s performance is excellent, as always - and that leads me neatly onto the second quibble.
The film is better. There. I said it. The film takes the source material, rounds off some of the edges, combines characters together for great effect, and even comes up with far better plot resolution. For example, in the film Andy works for the prison guards, doing their tax returns and eventually facilitating a lot of questionable deals and money laundering for the Warden. At the end, the warden and the chief guard all get their comeuppance for their crimes, after Andy escapes and reveals the whole racket. In the book, Andy works for their money laundering racket and … they retire. It’s too neat and tidy. The film drastically improves a few plot points, tying off loose ends in a way that is satisfying and realistic compared to the neat and convenient resolutions in the book. Another one is Brooks, who is mentioned briefly in a throwaway line, but forms a heartwrenching storyline in the film.
But I really enjoyed the book all the same. I read it in an afternoon, such was the quality of the writing (and indeed the length). It’s told in a very similar way to The Green Mile, with Red recounting his life in prison and particularly about Andy Dufresne. The most interesting theme for me was Andy’s stoicism in the face of significant adversity. It reminded me a lot of Man’s search for meaning by Viktor Frankl. There are those that choose to be happy, choose to live a good meaningful life, even in prison, or even in the worst place ever thought up by human minds - a concentration camp. It is all summed up in what is possibly one of the finest lines I’ve read in any book:
“It always comes down to two choices. Get busy living, or get busy dying."