‘The Woman in Cabin 10’ book vs movie discrepancies
Simon Stone’s The Woman in Cabin 10 is a Netflix entry that had viewers waiting for its arrival with bated breath. The anticipation was partly courtesy of its literary heritage and partly due to the intense trailer starring Keira Knightley that had them questioning everything right from the outset.
But once the movie adaption of Ruth Ware’s bestselling 2016 novel landed on the streaming platform, the discrepancies between the literary and cinematic versions became clear as daylight, as is the case with most adaptations, from The Thursday Murder Club to beyond.
The Netflix adaptation stars Knightley as investigative journalist Lo Blacklock, who embarks on a luxury superyacht following an invitation from the wealthy couple owners, Richard Bullmer and Anne Lynstad. But things go completely south on the yacht, contrary to her expectations, when she witnesses a woman next door to her room being thrown overboard in the middle of the night.
Lo quickly sends the crew aboard the yacht an alert, only to be returned with the information that the room next door, cabin 10, has been empty the entire time, and the headcount suggests the same. This also leads her fellow passengers to question her credibility, especially after she had a long night of drinking in an attempt to grapple with the traumatic episodes of her previous case. While these details are retained as they are, there are still many differences to count on between the movie and the book.
The Woman in Cabin 10 book vs movie discrepancies
Lo’s relationship status:
Lo has a boyfriend named Judah in Ware’s novel, whereas she’s single in the Netflix movie, with no existence of the character whatsoever. This detail has a consequence in the book as he’s later falsely informed that she has died, whereas in the film, the detail is completely glossed over.
Lo’s past traumas are different
While Lo is grappling with traumatic episodes in both versions: in the book, she has just had her apartment invaded and broken into, meanwhile, in the film, she’s hoping the yacht cover story would be a puff piece that would distract her from the hard-hitting revelations from the last case she took up, where she witnessed her lead being murdered in front of her eyes.
Lo’s work situation isn’t the same
In Ware’s novel, Lo is introduced as a travel journalist, working for a magazine and hoping she gets promoted. In contrast, the Lo we meet in Netflix’s The Woman in Cabin 10 is an investigative journalist working for The Guardian, who’s known for taking up extremely serious cases.
Lo’s encounter with Carrie
In both editions, the woman in cabin 10 is Carrie, working secretly to impersonate Anne, who’s seemingly living out the last few days of her cancer-ridden life. But before readers and viewers uncover the truth about her identity, Lo has a chance encounter with Carrie.
In the book, she mistakes her for a normal passenger on the yacht, from whom she borrows a mascara, but in the film, she ducks and enters cabin 10 in an attempt to avoid her ex-boyfriend, Ben, briefly meets Carrie, but has no such detailed exchange. In fact, she never even meets her along with the other passengers.
Carrie’s relationship with Richard Bullmer
Carrie’s relationship with Richard Bullmer was not just limited to the yacht outing and the charity cause in the novel. She had already impersonated Anne in public before that, and she was also involved in an affair with Bullmer, leading her to think that they were truly in love, but nothing could be official until Anne’s demise. Bullmer convinced Carrie that Anne would attend the yacht guests just for a night and then leave, meaning Carrie would be allowed to pose as her for the rest of the trip and be close to him.
But her motivation in the movie is driven by a lump sum amount and desperation to provide for her kid. Bullmer brings her in to pretend to be Anne and sign the revised will, giving Bullmer all the power over her estate, which she had intended to donate to a charitable cause.
Carrie’s fatal move on Anne
Netflix’s The Woman in Cabin 10 shows Bullmer throwing Anne overboard after knocking her out when she discovers the ruse. However, in the novel, Bullmer had Carrie throw Anne overboard when she found out about their affair.
Lo wasn’t originally a reliable narrator
In the book, Lo wasn’t a reliable narrator because of her drinking habits mixed with antidepressant intake. In fact, it wasn’t just the people around her but also herself who kept questioning the credibility of her own reality. However, when you meet Lo in the Netflix film, she’s far more confident than her literary origins, who knows what she saw, and keeps tailing the unknown to uncover the truth.
The ending
Carrie kidnaps and puts Lo in the below-decks cabin in both versions. She even returns to work with Lo after realising Bullmer is only using her to kill her off when his plan is done. But in the novel, Lo and Carrie exchange clothes before the boat reaches Norway so that the former can pretend to leave the yacht safely by posing as Anne. However, for some time, it’s foggy what ultimately happens to Carrie until it’s revealed that Bullmer’s body was found with a fatal gunshot wound. The details clarified that Carrie must have shot him, and the amount Lo receives from her also makes it clear that she has made it out alive.
In the Netflix version, Lo manages to escape the yacht following a near-fatal fight with the captain and Bullmer’s doctor friend, which unfortunately turns tragic for her ex-boyfriend Ben. While Ben also appears in the book, he doesn’t do so in this capacity. After escaping, Lo swims to the shore and upon reaching, Bullmer takes Carrie to sign the will at the gala. However, Lo arrives just in time to read out the real will, causing Bullmer to have to reveal that Carrie isn’t Anne. He also tries to take her hostage with a knife, but ultimately, he’s shot by Sigrid and finally knocked over by Lo.
The movie concludes with Lo writing an article on the event, highlighting Anne’s work for the cause. Carrie also appears one last time on a video message sent to Lo’s phone, which confirms she’s alive and doing well.