If you changed bodies every day, how would you make each day count?

The novel and movie “Every Day” focuses on main character A, who wakes up in a different body each day. A makes sure that they never change the course of someone’s life – they try not to alter anything or make decisions they feel that they shouldn’t make. But when A falls in love with Rhiannon, A starts affecting the lives of other people and learns that there are certain times when they need to use their power to influence someone’s life for the better.

The movie mostly stayed true to the book, but there were minor differences. For example, the movie didn’t present every single character A inhabited. Rhiannon and A communicated through text in the movie, rather than email and A had an Instagram account as a little remembrance for each body they lived in for the day.

But, there was a part of the plot that was diminished in the movie, as it was allotted less screen time than expected. Some characters, such as Nathan, were eliminated. Throughout the book, Nathan emails A, harassing them into explaining who they are and why he was possessed. When A agrees to meet with him, A meets someone who can also change bodies – except for the fact that they have learned how to stay in one body. A refuses to listen to them though, and escapes.

There was one major difference that I genuinely appreciated. In the book, Rhiannon chooses to take care of herself instead of staying with A. In the movie, Rhiannon is faithful the whole time, but A ends the relationship by explaining how Rhiannon’s adult life would be impossible to cope with if they were to stay together. This difference struck a chord with me, because I envy Rhiannon’s courage to leave A in the book, yet I relate more to A – wanting to hold on to love no matter how arduous it is. On the other hand, I admire how the movie displayed A as a truly altruistic character.

The book enhanced the experience of watching the movie because I read the book before watching the movie. I already knew what I wanted to see transferred from the book onto the screen. I admired the cast even more, because A had to be their own entity within the body, so the actors had to portray both the actual character A was inhabiting and A themselves, which required distinct separate mannerisms and emotion. For the characters that were shown but not developed in the movie, reading the book would give more context and make those scenes more purposeful.

Every day we make decisions that shape our lives, but often times, we don’t realize that our decisions could change someone else’s life, for the worse or for the better. “Every Day” as a movie and a book accurately convey this and is worth both reading and watching.