All the twisted and wild differences between the Behind Her Eyes book and Netflix series

Fans of Adam and cats should probably look away now


Quick question: Did you think Behind Her Eyes on Netflix was a lil bit wild and unhinged? Yes? Well strap in because the series actually missed out a lot more crazy things that happened in the book Behind Her Eyes is based on.

The series is based on the best-selling novel with the same name by Sarah Pinborough. After the book was published in 2017, it was marketed with the hashtag #WTFthatending – and now everyone else can see why. The author has said in interviews that the series is fairly faithful to the book, and not too much of the plot has been changed. But it’s pretty clear that some parts of the creepy psychological story were just that little too much even for Netflix.

Here’s every time the Netflix series differed to what happened in the book Behind Her Eyes is based on.

Behind Her Eyes, Netflix, book, series, differences, plot, changes, David, Louise, novel, Adam

via Netflix

In the Behind Her Eyes book, Adele has an abortion

One big difference which is addressed much more in the book, is that when Rob initially swaps bodies with Adele, she is pregnant. When Rob finds out he is now in the body of a pregnant woman, he has an abortion.

Adele kills Marianne’s cat Charlie

Marianne, cat, Brighton, Adele

via Netflix

Late on in the series, Louise goes to meet Marianne in Brighton, who previously had an affair with David. Marianne describes how Adele confronted her and broke into her home, writing “Slut” on the walls in red letters. After the incident she called out for her cat, Charlie, and did anyone else just get the sinking feeling that Adele was going to have killed the cat? Have I watched too many true crime documentaries or did anyone else feel like “Slut” was going to have been written in Charlie’s blood?

If like me you felt that way, your instinct was right. In the series, Charlie the cat comes when Marianne calls but in the book he was in fact killed by Adele – and pretty brutally as well. Adele poisons the cat, which is then out of it when Marianne arrives home. Adele then stamps on Charlie’s head, whilst wearing heels and right in front of poor Marianne, killing him.

Behind Her Eyes, Netflix, book, series, differences, plot, changes, Marianne, Charlie, Cat, Brighton

via Netflix

And that’s not the only cat death in the book! In the book, as part of her plan to get Louise on side, Adele tells Louise that her and David owned a cat, but David had stood on it and killed it. But, you guessed it, it was actually Adele who killed the pet.

Adele started more fires in the Behind Her Eyes book too

We learn in the Netflix series that Adele had briefly worked in a florist shop, but it didn’t really go well for her and now she doesn’t have a job and stays at home. In the book it is explained that this was yet another fire storyline – Adele started a fire at the shop. This is the third fire in the story – after the one at Adele’s parents’ estate and before the fire which kills Louise and sees Rob take over her body in the end.

Behind Her Eyes, Netflix, book, series, differences, plot, changes, Adele, fire

via Netflix

Louise is a little different in the book and her friend gets more of a backstory

Author Sarah Pinborough has said that her Louise was a little more “overweight” than Simona Brown’s character in the Netflix series. However she says that was more reflective of the time of when the book was written, and she is glad that the TV show gave Louise more complex insecurities as hers would be “a bit non-feminist these days”.

As well as this, Louise’s best friend Sophie, who we only meet a couple of times in the series, gets a lot more of a backstory in the novel. In the book she is cheating on her husband, and Louise cuts ties with her after marrying David, because she tells Sophie’s husband everything.

Behind Her Eyes, Netflix, book, series, differences, plot, changes, Sophie, Louise

via Netflix

In the book, we learn more about David and how he and Adele got together

There are only a few flashbacks in the series, and this is to when Adele and David are pretty much already in a relationship – having met at Adele’s family estate. In the book it is said that they met when Adele was eight – and David is five years older. They became close friends, and David got her a book about dreams – which first sparked her interest. Adele’s family disapproved of her relationship with David because of his family’s reputation and David’s dad was in debt.

We find out how David’s patient Anthony managed to get his address

Behind Her Eyes, Netflix, book, series, differences, plot, changes, Anthony

via Netflix

Remember David’s patient Anthony who had a melt down and then turned up at David and Adele’s house? Then Adele told him that David had given her that black eye? Many have said that Anthony’s story contains many plot holes, because we never find out what happened to him, or more importantly, how he managed to get hold of David’s address in the first place. According to Reddit, this is all explained in the book.

One person said: “In the book, Anthony is a heroin addict with obsessive tendencies and he becomes fixated on David. I don’t remember exactly if it was explained but at some point he must’ve been following David and found out where he lives that way.” Another replied saying they remember Anthony following Dr Ferguson around after work.

At the end of the Behind Her Eyes book, it looks like Rob’s next victim is… Adam!!!!

We have all fallen for Louise’s son, Adam. At the end of the series, he’s in the car with David and Louise (who is now actually Rob) and he can tell his mum isn’t who she used to be. He points out when Louise says she wants to go on a cruise, but before she hated boats and she creepily looks back at him and says “maybe I’ve changed”. His little face drops and honestly, someone needs to check on Adam.

I’m sorry to report that according to the book, we were all right and Adam is very much in danger. In a creepy narration in the book, Rob (in Louise’s body) describes children as being accident prone, and hints that Adam will “have an accident” and be out of the way so they can enjoy married life together. He says that all ties with Ian (Adam’s father) and Adam need to be “severed”, adding: “Adam’s departure from my life will need to be somewhat more dramatic. It shouldn’t be too difficult to arrange. Children are notoriously accident prone.”

SOMEONE GO AND HELP ADAM I BEG.

Behind Her Eyes is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, quizzes, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

This is what the cast of Behind Her Eyes on Netflix are like in real life

• All the details and clues in Behind Her Eyes on Netflix that you definitely missed

• 11 lingering questions I need answering about Behind Her Eyes so I can sleep at night