“Stoner” isn’t a particularly cinematic novel, but it could make a great movie in the right hands. It’s about a man who grew up on a farm in Missouri, discovers and falls in love with literature, and embraces a life as an English professor, ultimately as his personal relationships fall apart. (No, the book has nothing to do with marijuana.)
Sounds boring, but the 1965 novel became an international bestseller and cult classic when New York Review of Books Classics — which is kind of like the Criterion Collection for books — re-released it. It’s totally absorbing, and the main character, William Stoner, is one for the ages.
In 2017, an adaptation starring Casey Affleck was announced to be in the works, but production seems to have stalled. With the right actor and script, a “Stoner” movie can be great.
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