Pretty Little Plot Twists
**SPOILERS**
Welcome to the
first installment of “Turning Pages, Changing Channels!” ABC Family’s hit show Pretty Little Liars follows a fourteen book series of the same name
written by Sara Shepard. In the series,
a group of girls is haunted by two things: the unsolved murder of their best
friend, Alison, and anonymous messages signed by the mysterious and vindictive
A that reveal secrets only Alison would have known. However, fans of the books
already know the identity of A, so why watch the television series?
In answer to this
question, ABC Family decided not to follow the books too closely. As someone who has read all of the books and
follows the television show religiously, I think they have done a great job
following the plot without totally ruining the mystery of A. For instance, Mona Vanderwaal is revealed as
the series’ first A in both interpretations.
However, in the books, she is killed off, while the show allows her to
return to torment the girls. Toby is an
essential character on the show and is murdered by A in one of the first
books.
Caleb, another important character on the show, doesn’t even exist in the books. After the death of Mona, the books reveal Alison’s twin sister and a dark sibling rivalry. The books also take on a new plot with new secrets that “the liars” need to hide, creating a new A. The television show has yet to explicitly reveal the sibling rivalry, but there have been hints toward it.
Caleb, another important character on the show, doesn’t even exist in the books. After the death of Mona, the books reveal Alison’s twin sister and a dark sibling rivalry. The books also take on a new plot with new secrets that “the liars” need to hide, creating a new A. The television show has yet to explicitly reveal the sibling rivalry, but there have been hints toward it.
The massive
following the television show has accumulated has even affected the books. Originally, the series contained only eight
books. However, as the show gained
popularity, the books gained new followers, as well. So far, this revival in popularity has resulted
in six additional books. Four of these books
further the original plot and two flash back to earlier events. The latest book even follows Alison before
she was killed. The success of the show
so far includes a confirmed fourth season and rumors of a movie to eventually
wrap up the series. The books and show
definitely have one thing in common: no one knows what will happen next. But, I’m not A, so next month look forward to
a peek into the many faces of Sherlock Holmes!
By Kaitlyn Coddington
