Tell No One

I watched Tell No One (Ne le dis a Personne) last night. The movie is based on the book by Harlan Coben and is full of enough twists and surprises to satisfy the most jaded viewer. Just when you think you know who did it, the author turns your expectations around and dumps you on your head. Good stuff. Something we writers aspire to.

One unexpected relationship in the movie has me thinking about readers' expectations and what happens when we go against type. The main character, Alex, has lost his wife and is as devastated as a man can be. His best friend is his sister's wife, played by Kristin Scott Thomas. She does a marvelous turn as Helene, the sexy foil to his sister's earthier nature.

He confides in Helene, tells her his deepest secrets and fears. She is the one he turns to first when he's in trouble. It felt like a wonderful, deep relationship. Honest and true, but it somehow rang false. I think it was because it was at the expense of his relationship with his sister. That was very underdeveloped. I can see why he'd been inclined to chose Helene over Anne. She's far more interesting and insightful.

Still, it felt weird. We don't expect someone to be closer to a sibling's spouse than the sibling.

I'm torn. I liked that it was different, yet it didn't feel right because it was different. So, what's a writer to do? Maybe the book did a better job expanding the relationships. There was a hint that Alex and Helene were both protective of Anne, who was a bit of a delicate flower, and kept her out of the loop on purpose.

What do you think an author can do to both meet our expectations and surpass them?