Imitation is NOT always flattery
Just saw the #1 worldwide trending Netflix Film 365 Days that has taken the digital world by storm over the last few days.
This is based on the Polish bestselling novel 365 dni by Blanca Lipinska that released in 2018. The book has received 128 ratings & reviews on Amazon and 260 reviews on Goodreads, with an average rating of 3.25
I haven't read the book, but as I saw the film, I found extraordinary similarities with another book. Be it plot, setting, characters, scenes, or the erotica. I am providing some examples (there are many I have omitted to keep the suspense alive) below for your consideration in the following format to compare. Please go through before reading an important message in the end.
365 dni | the other book (details in the end)
Prologue / Opening scene
An island in the Mediterranean sea where a crime takes place, and a man close to the male protagonist dies | An island in the Pacific Ocean where a narrator speaks about the death of a woman close to the male protagonist
Plot:
A man forcefully abducts a woman who is on a vacation and takes her to an island (Sicily) - there is a lot of sex, and some Stockholm Syndrome at play (definitely) | A man forcefully abducts a woman who is on a vacation and takes her to a private island (Malaysia) - there is a lot of sex, and some Stockholm Syndrome at play (supposedly)
Plot Points (in no particular order)
PP 1:
Intimate sexual orientation secrets are used to blackmail and manipulate a person (a secondary character from a different country - USA) | Intimate sexual orientation secrets are used to blackmail and manipulate a person (a secondary character from a different country - India)
PP 2:
The abductor allows the girl to run away till she reaches the edge of the sea, screams for help. She meets two people who don't help her, before the man turns up. Realizing there is no way out, she decides to play by his rules | The abductor allows the girl to run away till she reaches the edge of the sea, screams for help, finds no one, before the man turns up. Realizing there is no way out, she decides to play by his rules
PP 3:
The man and woman have dinner outside in the open by a large swimming pool | The man and woman have breakfast outside in the open by the sea
PP 4:
The woman decides to bathe in public (fountain), the man gets aroused | The woman decides to bathe in public (sea), the man gets aroused
Erotica scenes (in no particular order)
Erotica 1:
A woman lies spreadeagled on a bed wearing a bathrobe - her wrists and ankles secured by handcuffs / telescopic tube, the man slowly begins to mount her saying - "I have access to absolutely every bit of your body", even as she writhes trying to get away | A woman lies spreadeagled on a bed naked - her wrists and ankles secured by rope, the man begins to mount her, even as she writhes trying to get away "her skin crawls where his fingers touch her, and her lips tremble in solidarity"
Erotica 2:
The woman bathes, naked, even as he watches her. He then joins her in the bathroom asking her "do you want anything or are you just looking? Why are you looking at it, do you wanna touch it?" | The girl is forced to take a shower. She hates it, but allows him to grope her while soaking up the lather, for she knows there is no escape. She bears it all and waits for the bath to end.
Erotica 3:
They have consensual sex inside a cabin in a yacht. She does a Fellatio on him, taking him completely by surprise. They soon move outside, the waves crashing against the yacht as they keep making love to each other | They have consensual sex by the water (sea beach). She does a Fellatio on him, surprising him by her uninhibited actions. "The two together find between them a rhythm, like never before, even as the waves lap up the nakedness of their bodies..."
In case you are wondering how I know so much, it's simply because I am the author of the book I referenced above - Confessions on an Island, published by Readomania that released in 2016.
The book has received 73 ratings & reviews (average 4.7) on Amazon and 45 reviews on Goodreads, with an average rating of 4.62 making it one of the highest rated psychological thrillers to be released in India in a decade.
Feel free to download the FREE Amazon Kindle App to read the digital version (the paperbacks have long gone out of print) to find out the truth for yourself.
If you thereby feel the similarities I have raised above are more than a mere coincidence, please help spread the word so that the original can get the recognition due and justice can be served.
#Netflix #365Days #ConfessionsonanIsland #India #Poland #AuthorAyanPal #AuthorBlancaLipinska #ImitationIsNotAlwaysFlattery
#plagiarism in any form is a blatant abuse of talent and unethical in every sense. Drawing inspiration is different and there is not a thin line - it's a very broad thick line which should be maintained with distance . I was there in your book launch and I still remember you reading the excerpts. This could be a fight that you may not have foreseen , but you must endeavour on this journey Ayan. ????
Juggler in Stealth Mode
4 年Have not seen the movie but have read your book and can say for sure it is a masterpiece and a first from an Indian writer. Proud of the fact that others are copying your work and movie made on it. All the best in the fight against plagerism.