Created by JP Delaney, “The Girl Before” is a psychological thriller series that tells the story of two women, the house they fell in love with and the man who built it. Jane Cavendish (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Emma Matthews (Jessica Plummer) move into the same ultra-modern minimalist home three years apart after agreeing to follow around 200 rules from architect and landlord, Edward (David Oyelowo) . Unbeknownst to them, they both resemble Edward’s deceased wife, Elizabeth, who played a crucial role in their selection. When Jane discovers that Emma died shortly after moving in, she embarks on a dangerous journey to find out what really happened to the other woman.
“The Girl Before” frankly explores realistic themes such as obsession, success, desire and madness. If this has you wondering if “The Girl Before” is based on a true story, this is what you need to know.
Is the girl before a true story?
No, ‘The Girl Before’ is not based on a true story. Delaney developed the series from his 2016 book of the same name. According to him, ‘The Girl Before’ has always been particularly close to his heart. It is also the first psychological thriller he has ever written. Delaney spent 15 years of his life working on the project. “I always knew there was something at the heart of it all – something very simple about taking the gothic tradition of a creepy, creaky, almost haunting house, but turning it around so it was very modern and minimalist,” he said in an interview. “While most architects work with a client’s brief, with minimalism it’s the other way around – you buy into the architect’s vision. Minimalism is almost like a concrete architect’s brain, and you inhabit that brain and it can be a scary space to live in if it’s a controlling person, like Edward.
According to Delaney, the process of adapting or turning the book into a television show had been relatively easy for him, as he had no problem with his story turning into something completely different. “I understand that some writers would want to adapt because they want to protect their story,” explained the writer-director-producer. “They want to make sure no one messes it up or tweaks it too much, but I’m the opposite. For me, what’s exciting is when the story evolves and adapts. You have to trust the people you work with. I made a rule that I needed to have a good reason to say no to someone else’s ideas. So that’s been the wonderful thing really. As more and more people got on board and saw how it worked, changing it and transforming into this living being was the most enjoyable part.
The show’s narrative differs from that of the book in some areas. Delaney admitted that they were forced to leave out certain elements of the book when making the series, but the overall story remained the same. Additionally, the TV format allowed them to explore certain themes of the books in detail. Obviously, ‘The Girl Before’ is not based on a true story. But it’s perfectly understandable if someone thinks that’s the case.
Read more: Is 1 Folgate Street from The Girl Before a real house? Where is it situated?
