2. White Noise - Don DeLillo (1985)
White Noise doesnt have the stylistic or structural intricacies of the previous two entries on this list, but just as Fitzgeralds prose simply has a magic that works only on the page, DeLillos work and words feel as though theyd be lost in the translation to the screen. Too much of the novel is internal struggle and philosophical wondering; to move those thoughts onto the screen would require forcing the characters to discuss them aloud (which could be awkward and too on the nose), or fit them in through voiceover, which can be alienating. Consider David Cronenbergs recent adaptation of DeLillos Cosmopolis. A great director working off of great source material, but the end product still feels somewhat unformed. Undercooked maybe. DeLillo is a writer who expresses so much of his characters mental processes on the page that its impossible to soak it all up and fit it on screen without having it turn into a lecture or rant.