Carley Fortune Explains Major Plot Shift in Amazon's 'Every Year After' Adaptation

Carley Fortune is embracing a substantial creative pivot from her source material for the new Amazon series adaptation of her work.

The author appeared on the red carpet as Prime Video debuted "Every Year After" on Wednesday, June 10, and discussed how the show diverged from her novel "Every Summer After" in a pivotal plot point.

In the television version, Sadie Soverall's character Percy arrives in Barry's Bay after learning of her ex-boyfriend Sam's (Matt Cornett) mother's passing. Through the narrative, viewers discover that Percy previously had an intimate relationship with Sam's brother Charlie (Michael Bradway).

The book handles this revelation differently: Sam uncovers the truth about Percy and Charlie before she returns to town.

Fortune explained to Us Weekly that showrunner Amy B. Harris made the change deliberately, and she found merit in the decision when she first reviewed the script. "When I was writing the book, I knew from the beginning the reason why Percy and Sam had kind of fallen apart, but it wasn't until I got to writing the scene in which Sam and Percy are confronting that, that I realized Sam is known for such a long time," Fortune said. "That just felt so heartbreaking and beautiful and sad that all these years had gone by. So he's had a lot of time to grapple with this."

By shifting the timeline in the adaptation, Sam only learns about Percy's past with Charlie in real time, allowing the series to capture his immediate reaction while he's simultaneously processing his mother's death.

"I think what was important to Amy was showing Sam's response to that news. You want to see things on TV. You want to see him be confronted with this," Fortune explained. "For a second season, we are going to be with Sam while he's still grappling with this information. I think that just makes for good on-screen drama."

The series is now available to stream on Prime Video.