writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Atlantic, McSweeney’s, and many other outlets. She lives with her family in New York City where she teaches creative writing at New York University.
Here Fusselman dreamcasts an adaptation of The Means, her first novel:
If they make my book into a film I hope it’s an animated show.Visit Amy Fusselman's website.
My book, The Means, is a tragicomic (but mostly comic) story about a married, stay-at-home mom with two kids who really wants a beach house in the Hamptons.
I am a little leery of movies, which I know is not a common take. But I do like TV shows, or whatever we are calling them now. In particular, I like what’s happening with animated shows on streaming platforms, and if I could have my book turned into anything on a screen, I would like it to become a 22-minute, animated show. (Or, tbh, a video game. But that's a whole other consideration). For the purposes of this post, then, I will think about casting voice actors rather than actor-actors.
The most important voice to cast would be the one of my narrator, Shelly Means. Shelly seems pretty nonthreatening but she actually has a lot of power. It would be great to underscore that part of her character by having her voiced by James Earl Jones. But because Shelly also has anger management problems and sometimes has a hard time expressing herself, she could also be voiced, at times, by a dolphin. You would just hear the clicks and squeaks as Shelly throws glassware across the room.
There is also a talking dog named Twix in the book, and she is actually the moral center of the story. It would be fun to have her voiced by someone who is kind of evil. Maybe Ted Cruz will be looking for work soon? I would love to hear him say a line like: “Why don’t you start a revolution demanding that men do more domestic work and child-rearing?”
--Marshal Zeringue
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