After her loss at the U.S. presidential race back in 2016, many have wondered what Hillary Clinton’s life would have looked life, sans Bill Clinton.
Now, there’s no need to wonder. A new series, Rodham, will reimagine the former First Lady’s life without her marriage to Bill Clinton, which defined her for some time.
Based on a novel of the same name, The Hollywood Reporter reports that television writer Sarah Treem is set to adapt Rodham, the best-selling novel by Curtis Sittenfeld. Both the book and the series will explore a revisionist history where Hillary never marries Bill, instead choosing to forge her own career path that is separate from his political ambitions.
In a description of the series, that is still in development, reads:
“A modern parable about choices, feminism and why this country has such a complicated relationship to women in power, Rodham tells the story of an ambitious young woman, developing her extraordinary mind in the latter part of the 20th century, moving from idealism to cynicism and all the way back again.”
With both the novel and the series written by women, the series is set to follow a previous docu-series that chronicled Clinton’s life, called Hillary. That project, helmed by Nanette Burstein, featured several interviews with Hillary, Bill, their daughter Chelsea, other insiders.
Rodham takes an unconventional route to understand the trajectory of Clinton’s life and career. In an interview with ELLE U.S., author Sittenfeld detailed the inspiration behind her what-if historical retelling.
“I was very disappointed and upset after the election,” she said. “Something that I thought about in the next few months was, I have kids and I know that for kids—for grade school children—a lot of them were aware of the 2016 election, aware of who Hillary was, but had no idea that Bill Clinton existed or had been president or was Hillary’s husband. I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, that would be an interesting premise for a novel.'”
Eager for Rodham? Take a look at the novel below, while you patiently await the new series:
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, $49.67 from amazon.com.au
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