56 Days Review: Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia Captivate in Seductive Adaptation of Catherine Ryan Howard’s Novel
Prime Video’s 56 Days is everything anyone could hope for — sexy, thrilling, and mysterious.
Based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Howard, 56 Days alternates between chronicling Ciara Wyse and Oliver Kennedy’s passionate and explosive relationship and the central mystery in the present day.
The mystery revolves around a decomposed body found in Oliver’s bathtub and its connection to Ciara and Oliver’s whirlwind romance.
Prime Video’s 56 Days presents the same mystery as the novel, but the show sets a different trajectory.
In the book, the narrative reveals the body’s identity fairly quickly, leading the mystery to revolve around Oliver’s dark past and Ciara’s true motivations.
The show covers these elements thoroughly, but the mystery focuses on the body’s identity. It moves away from character ambition, highlighting narrative suspense and shocking plot twists instead.
It is undoubtedly the right decision for an on-screen adaptation, especially considering how TV audiences differ from an author’s readership.
Oliver’s dark secret is also notably different from the book, which, in turn, establishes a different character arc.
Prime Video’s 56 Days slowly unravels Oliver’s past and the secrets he is desperate to hide. He is a billionaire’s son living with catastrophic guilt over framing his best friend, Shane, for an accidental killing he committed in high school.
In the book, Oliver’s secret is similar, but the circumstances are different. Not only is Oliver 12 years old, but he and Shane kill Paul, a 10-year-old boy, all because Paul playfully threw pebbles at them.
Despite the significant age difference, Oliver participates in a merciless murder, while 56 Days softens Oliver’s crime to complicate the stakes.
The changes behind Oliver’s past are intriguing, illustrating how 56 Days tells a different story while mostly honoring the book’s themes of complex love, crushing secrets, and earned redemption.
Oliver’s arc in the book grapples with the idea that unforgivable mistakes define a person, even a child. However, 56 Days muddies the line between good and evil by having Oliver kill Paul to save Shane, only for Oliver to frame Shane for the crime days later.
A great adaptation is not defined by its accuracy from the source material, even though that is a component. The sign of a great adaptation is whether it respects the source material’s themes, no matter how many changes it makes.
For the most part, 56 Days succeeds at this task.
Karl Connolly: Nothing stays the same except dead bodies.
Prime Video’s 56 Days changes several other aspects that make the story more exciting.
For one, the secondary characters in Ciara and Oliver’s lives play bigger roles. Shyla is not aware of Ciara’s shenanigans in the book, but on the show, she becomes involved.
Similarly, Oliver’s therapist, Dan, is significantly more entangled with the narrative, whereas in the book, Oliver keeps Dan at arm’s length. Dan is truly just his therapist who wants what is best for Oliver, with no alternative motive.
The show also creates individual arcs for the two main detectives on the case, Lee and Karl. In the book, Lee — and by extension, her partner, Karl — exist to provide a glimpse into the mystery surrounding the decomposed body.
However, 56 Days creates authentic conflicts for both detectives, fully fleshing out their characters and ensuring the present-day timeline is just as compelling as Ciara and Oliver’s romance.
With all these notable alterations, 56 Days has easily set up the possibility for a second season or a spinoff, something that cannot happen with the book.
Oliver Kennedy: I’m not gonna be an open book to an industry that doesn’t care about anything other than its own profits.
All the actors deliver stunning performances, but Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia especially shine as Ciara and Oliver.
Cameron and Jogia step into these roles as if they were born to play them; their chemistry is magnetic and irresistible. It is impossible to turn away from Ciara and Oliver, even as their relationship implodes.
Prime Video’s 56 Days also employs several creative tools to transition between Ciara and Oliver’s unfolding relationship and the present day.
The contrasting blue and yellow tints work well, with yellow representing the innocence of love and blue the cold aftermath of mystery.
The most notable transition occurs on 56 Days Season 1 Episode 6, “Chapter 6,” when Lee and Karl arrive at Paul’s house.
Until this point, the show implies that Ciara is Paul’s younger sister, as does the book. However, the contrast between Lee and Karl arriving at Paul’s house and Shyla entering her mother’s home reveals an astonishing truth: Ciara is not Paul’s sister, but Shane’s.
Prime Video’s 56 Days recreates the same startling effect the book produces in revealing this information. The show also elevates this moment with cinematic camera angles that move back and forth between the present (Lee and Karl) and the past (Shyla).
Ciara Wyse: Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. For whatever reason, fate seems to be on my side lately. Maybe the universe believes in karma. Did Oliver pay for my mistakes? I know I paid for his. So did we. For years, we paid dearly. But now, I hope you’ll agree that we’re all in a better place. Some people are just meant to be together, even under the worst of circumstances.
Most of the changes 56 Days makes from Catherine Ryan Howard’s novel are bold and reasonable. However, the show changes the decomposed body’s identity, resulting in a drastically different ending from the book.
Having a different ending is not necessarily an issue if the adaptation honors the source material’s themes, but 56 Days no longer does so once it prioritizes Ciara and Oliver living happily ever after.
In the book, Ciara kills Oliver as a way to express her devastating shock over Oliver’s confession: he was the ringleader behind Paul’s death and let Shane take the fall, ultimately leading to Shane’s suicide.
Ciara killing Oliver is not just retribution for Shane; it is a form of closure because of the terrible impact Oliver’s lie had on her family. Despite Oliver’s attempts, he cannot redeem himself in Ciara’s eyes.
However, Oliver is not responsible for Shane committing suicide on the show — that role belongs to Dan. Dan pays the price with his life, paving the way for Ciara and Oliver to get away with their crime and run away together.
This ending strays from the story’s themes, focusing instead on the concept of “some people are just meant to be together.” Despite this poignant idea, it comes at the expense of Ciara’s closure and Oliver’s earned redemption.
Thankfully, this ending has a positive aspect — 56 Days portrays a universe where Ciara gets to be with the person she fell in love with. Oliver might not have as much to atone for, but he gets to be so much more than a figment of Ciara’s imagination.
What did you think of 56 Days? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
Critic Rating:
Audience Rating:
56 Days is available to stream on Prime Video.
Check out our latest TV recommendations, updated weekly!
Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!
Sarah Novack
Sarah has been a passionate writer and blogger about various forms of media for as long as she can remember, and her favorite method of expressing this passion is through writing and discussion. She loves way too many TV shows, books, and movies, specializing in book-to-screen adaptations, fantasy, sitcoms, and procedurals.