Questions About The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer

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Can I read this without ever seeing the TV show?

Natalie KM You could, but then all you're doing is reading a very tragic story about an abused young girl with a cocaine addiction who keeps falling deeper and d…moreYou could, but then all you're doing is reading a very tragic story about an abused young girl with a cocaine addiction who keeps falling deeper and deeper into the underworld of her town. You might be frustrated by characters that are referenced and never brought up again, or by story threads that appear to go nowhere. You might get to the end of the novel and go "what was the point of all that?"

The TV show is all about the ripple effects Laura's death has on the town and beyond. As everyone is interviewed throughout the investigation into her murder and everyone recounts their different memories and stories of her, Laura becomes almost mythological. She becomes more the idea of the girl, just a photo of a homecoming queen, not a real character.

This novel (and the film Fire Walk With Me) centres her back into her own person, rather than other people's fantasies/memories of her. So you can read this novel without watching the TV show, but you're then missing why Laura is important, why her diary has meaning (and who all the random characters that are mentioned are).

But if you like very dark stories, this might appeal to you in it's own right. (less)

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