“I always thought it would take a lifetime to understand the human heart…but in the end, all it took was a single day.”
And so begins the film adaptation of Nicola Yoon’s novel, The Sun Is Also A Star.
For the author, the inspiration behind the novel came down to one key thing: exploring how fate – and love – can change your life quicker than you would ever imagine.
“I wanted to write a book that had all the ingredients of a good love story,” author Nicola Yoon told Her on her inspiration behind writing the novel.
“I really wanted to write a book about connections. I wanted two people to be falling in love and show all the things that push them together; all the things that led them to where they are.”
The Sun Is Also A Star is set over the course of one day in the lives of college-bound romantic Daniel Bae (played by Riverdale’s Charles Melton) and Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha Kingsley (played by grownish’s Yara Shahidi).
Natasha is fighting to keep her family from being deported after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on the restaurant where he father worked. Determined to remain in New York, she heads into the city to find a lawyer who will be able to help her.
Daniel, meanwhile, is getting ready for an interview with an alumni from his prospective college. And when the two of them literally collide on a street in Chinatown, he’s convinced it is destiny – but Natasha doesn’t believe that destiny, or even love, exists.
In the 24 hours that follow, Daniel sets out to convince her otherwise.
Ever since the novel was released in 2016, The Sun Is Also A Star has struck a chord with fans across the globe – and Yoon feels it may be, in part, down to one particular thing.
“I think people love love stories, anyways; that they love love,” she admitted. “My favourite part is watching the characters discover each other; when they fall in love with each other’s ideas of the world, then fall in love with themselves.”
And while the book stays pretty faithful to Yoon’s novel, there are a few moments she wished had made it from the page to the screen.
“You can’t fit everything [in the movie],” she acknlowleged. “But I miss the chapters with other people, the people they encounter during the day. I totally understand why [they were cute], because it would be a 10 hour movie otherwise. But I still miss it.”
As for if she would ever revisit Daniel and Natasha’s story, the author didn’t rule it out – but it looks like it may be a little while away.
“I often think about doing something [one day]; at some point, I want to write about what happened on that plane journey,” she added.
Yoon also shared the book she would recommend to fans who are waiting to see The Sun Is Also A Star hit cinemas.
“In Paris With You by Clementine Beauvais; it was the last great YA book I loved,” she said.
The Sun Is Also A Star hits cinemas in Ireland on Friday, August 9 – you can check out the trailer below.
A good book can do just about anything; from taking you on a wild and fantastical adventure to making you feel like an all-knowing super sleuth (if you figure out the killer twist).
But what’s good to read? Each week, #Bookmarked will help you out – with an insight into the best novels hitting shelves right now and other faves that everyone needs to read at least once in their lives.
