The Shape of Water

Daniel Kraus, Guillermo del Toro — 2018

It is 1962, and Elisa Esposito-mute her whole life, orphaned as a child-is struggling with her humdrum existence as a janitor working the graveyard shift at Baltimore's Occam Aerospace Research Center. Were it not for Zelda, a protective coworker, and Giles, her loving neighbor, she doesn't know how she'd make it through the day.Then, one fateful night, she sees something she was never meant to see, the Center's most sensitive asset ever: an amphibious man, captured in the Amazon, to be studied for Cold War advancements. The creature is terrifying but also magnificent, capable of language and of understanding emotions... and Elisa can't keep away. Using sign language, the two learn to communicate. Soon, affection turns into love, and the creature becomes Elisa's sole reason to live. But outside forces are pressing in. Richard Strickland, the obsessed soldier who tracked the asset through the Amazon, wants nothing more than to dissect it before the Russians get a chance to steal it. Elisa has no choice but to risk everything to save her beloved. With the help of Zelda and Giles, Elisa hatches a plan to break out the creature. But Strickland is on to them. And the Russians are, indeed, coming. Developed from the ground up as a bold two-tiered release-one story interpreted by two artists in the independent mediums of literature and film-The Shape of Water is unlike anything you've ever read or seen.

Reviews

Nick Bicko@nember

Feb 12, 2022

3,5 Sterne. Ein gutes Buch, das vor allem durch die ständig wechselnden Perspektiven und die Gedanken der Protagonisten auch einen gewissen Mehrwert gegenüber dem Film bietet. Allerdings war es das dann auch mit dem Mehrwert, da das Buch zeitgleich zum Film enstand und daher natürlich dem Film extrem ähnelt und es wenig bis keine neue Handlung gibt, die man nur im Buch lesen kann. Daher: Lesenswert für Leute, die den Film nicht kennen. Für Kenner des Films eher weniger. Update: Habe den Film nochmal gesehen und hatte wohl doch mehr davon verdrängt, als ich dachte. Handlung ist an zahlreichen Stellen anders, der komplette Strang mit Mrs Strickland fehlt, Strickland selbst ist im Buch eine ganz andere Person. Upgrade auf 4 Sterne, Buch lohnt sich und kann sehr gut alleine stehen.

Diesel Cheung@insectcondo

Dec 24, 2021

The Shape of Water is about understanding one another. It's about solidarity and finding where you truly fit in the oddest of circumstances. This is a wonderful work that really speaks about what it's like to have society against you. Set in 1950s Baltimore, this fairy tale explores classism, misogyny, discrimination and fetishization of the disabled, racism and homophobia. However it also includes lots of strong women (and Giles) characters who as a reader you sympathize with. It is a very empowering and powerful story, and since it came out after the movie, I would say the book has things explained the movie never got into, but I think they are both excellent.