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'If I Stay' author Gayle Forman discusses the movie adaptation of her YA book

'Stay' follows a teenage cellist, Mia, who must decide whether to die or move forward with life after becoming injured in a car accident.

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Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Chloe Grace Moretz stars in 'If I Stay.'
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

The movie adaptation of Gayle Forman’s young adult bestseller “If I Stay” will be released on Aug. 15.

“Stay” was originally published in 2009 and centers on teenager Mia, who is a cellist and in a relationship with rebellious musician Adam. When she and her family are in a car accident, Mia must decide whether to die or make the choice to continue living. Forman released a sequel, “Where She Went,” in 2011.

The movie adaptation stars “Carrie” actress Chloe Grace Moretz as Mia, Jamie Blackley of “The Fifth Estate” as Adam, actress Mireille Enos of “The Killing” as Mia’s mother Kat, and actor Stacy Keach, who has appeared in such projects as “Nebraska” and “Planes,” as Mia’s grandfather.

Forman, who is an executive producer for the movie, recently told the website SheKnows that she believes authors are getting more and more involved in the film adaptations of their books.

“It seems like the day of giving a writer a check and saying, 'See you at the premiere,' is over," she said. "I think increasingly producers and directors are understanding that there's value in having the writer involved.”

She said bringing the actors that are involved with the movie on board was when she knew the film was headed in the direction she wanted. 

“It was really the casting that was the moment of, 'Oh wow, they really get it,'” Forman said. 

The author said that one particular theme in the book is expressed even better through a film.

“You can't write a cello sonata on the page,” Forman said. “You can't write the energy of a rock show on the page, the same way and with the same kind of visceral, sensory, all-encompassing feeling that you can when you see it on the screen and you can, sort of, see it and hear it. It's so different because music is such a huge part of this book that I think that that really is kind of a game changer in terms of how the film elevates the book.”

Meanwhile, Moretz herself recently shared some of her favorite books with USA Today.

“I love ‘Wuthering Heights,’ ‘The Bell Jar,’” she said. “I prefer paperback.” 

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