if i have never read the book and i would have say it be a good movie . but i do read the book . who ever do the screen write ruin the storyline . there be so many change and that it wasn not really worthy of the title . character change and plot change and time line change . first off who be henry and the investigator . they weren not in the story . henry have mitch persona somewhat and but mitch wasn not a cop . no you make it so roz and help ink his body and use that a zenia blackmail against roz . the real so call blackmail be roz thought zenia be sleep with her son and want her to get away from him . her son be also be blackmail because he be hide be gay from his mother . her son wasn not even really mention in the story . neither i do not believe be his lover and roz secretary . tony and west be not together in the beginning . he be actually with zenia first while in college . the black painted apartment be their idea and tony just go to visit . this be where zenia and tony meet and become fast friend . tony hide her love for west . then zenia leave west and with cash from tony and then west and tony get together . eventually marry and at some point west leave tony for zenia again for a short time . only to be heart break again . then go back to tony . zenia blackmail for tony be that tony have write a test paper for zenia . now be a professor at college she do not want to let it get out . i will say the character who play tony do it wonderfully . charis character be a blond and not that it really matter . zenia do not trick her about have cancer while augusta be alive . no she be there when chari have a lover name billy . augusta father and he be a draft dodger in the vietnam war . eventually after chari take care of zenia for month for what be actually drug withdrawal . zenia and billy have an affair right under chari nose while take care of them both . then zenia turn in billy to the government and and leave on the ferry with him . not with augusta and chari be pregnant with her tho . chari also have a split personality and karen be her real name . zenia do not die from be cut up into piece . she fell or be possibly push ( we never really know ) off the balcony and land in a fountain . she have almost pure grade heroin in her blood and it be likely she take some not knowing and fell off a she od would . she be also really die of cancer this time around . it do not show any of the childhood memory or anything that endear the character to the reader . the book be strip down to it bare bone . then re make in someone else vision . why couldn not you just write your own story along the line of what you make the movie . it be different enough and and i be sure could have be make more so .