American Fiction Vs Erasure Book Vs Movie Review

American Fiction Vs Erasure book vs movie review is here to highlight the 023 dark comedy American Fiction, Jeffrey Wright plays Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a novelist and university professor. 

American Fiction is a far cry from the 2001 Percival Everett novel Erasure, despite being praised for its razor-sharp humor and superb acting from its ensemble. 

American Fiction is a masterful self-reflexive comedy, but it also does a fantastic job of dramatic storytelling that revolves around Monk’s personal life. 

The 2023 Cord Jefferson comedy maintains its distinctive style in addressing its themes of race, identity politics, and family, even in the face of other films such as American Fiction.

American Fiction vs Erasure Book vs Movie Review

It is based on the 2001 book Erasure by Percival Everett. There are some significant differences between the book and the film.

Even though both offer a satirical look at the experiences of marginalized authors within the publishing industry. Here are a few of the most notable variations:

1. American Fiction is Set in Boston

In American Fiction, the story takes place in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area, which is recognized for having a larger non-Hispanic White population.

Similarly, Erasure is set in Washington, D.C., a city notable for its large Black American population. 

The film quietly draws attention to Monk’s career problems while avoiding overtly highlighting its geographical departure from the original. 

2. Coraline’s Name is Different

The name of Monk’s love interest, Coraline, who is portrayed by Erika Alexander but is Marilyn Tilman in the book, is another less noticeable departure from Erasure. 

Furthermore, the name change is done without even mentioning a reason, which makes it a subtle but brilliant move considering the significance of Coraline. 

The diminutive form of the name Coral, which refers to a precious material used to make jewelry, is Coraline in French.

Coraline, on the other hand, is more laid back and upbeat, making her something of a diamond in the rough compared to Monk’s rough exterior.

3. Monk’s Father’s Affair

The family drama in American Fiction both grounds the film and illuminates many of the factors that contribute to Monk’s unique personality. 

Viewers never see Monk’s father, but to Monk’s dismay, his siblings Lisa and Cliff attest that their father did have an affair with a White woman. 

In the book, Monk sets out on a personal quest to find the woman to better comprehend his father’s motivations.

However, American Fiction adds more background information by narrating the affair verbally and through several letters.

4. Sintara Golden is a Judge

Award-winning author Sintara Golden, who is portrayed by fellow novelist Issa Rae, is the brains behind the absurdly extravagant novel We’s Lives in Da Ghetto, a novelization that exposes Black suffering and numerous other harmful stereotypes about the African-American community. 

Sintara is poised and self-aware enough to know how to further her career, even though the book is rancid, and as a result, she was appointed to the Literary Award Panel. 

Although this aggravates Monk even more, Juanita Mae Jenkins, a character played by Sintara, isn’t invited to join the panel in the book, so it never occurs there.

5. Lisa Dies

Lisa has a close relationship with Monk, even though they haven’t seen each other in years because of their respective personal and professional lives. 

Lisa stays behind to take care of their sick mother, while Monk relocates to Los Angeles to work as a university professor and pursue his dream of becoming a novelist. 

Even though Tracee Ellis Ross has a small amount of screen time as List, the audience and Monk are both deeply affected by her unexpected heart attack death.

However, Erasure has a far darker tone than American fiction because Lisa is killed in a senseless shooting.

6. American Fiction’s Ending

The reader discovers that the book Erasure they have been reading is about the story’s events playing out in real time. 

Everett subtly reveals information throughout, including through double entendres and a sequence of letters that stray from the conventional storyline, so it all makes sense. 

However, American Fiction features alternating endings that also have a meta vibe to them. In each case, Monk and the film director Wiley figure out how to conclude the movie within a movie.