Why does One Hundred Years Of Solitude Season 1 start where the book ended? Explored

The Netflix adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude has taken a number of creative liberties while reimagining on screen the almost unadaptable novel, although the audience and critics have well-received the creators' efforts.

The show deviates from the book on a number of points. A key difference is that One Hundred Years of Solitude on Netflix begins where Márquez’s novel ends.

While Part 1 of the show, comprising eight episodes, dropped on 11 December, 2024, Netflix has already planned the second part of One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Let us now explore the reason behind the show starting from where the book ended.

One Hundred Years of Solitude on Netflix begins where the book ends

Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude opens with the unforgettable line,

"Many years later as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."

While Netflix’s One Hundred Years of Solitude uses that opening sentence of the novel as first line of the show's narrative, the show begins with the final scene in the book where Aureliano, the Buendía family’s sixth generation member, visits his ruined home and finds a prophetic letter by the gypsy Melquíades. The letter accurately mentions the most important incidents that have happened to the family over the past century.

Since Part 1 of the show, One Hundred Years of Solitude, covers the story of the novel till only midway, it’s a curious fact that the show should begin this way. The idea adds intrigue as well as piques interest for incidents that are yet to occur.

What is One Hundred Years of Solitude about?

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a multi-generational story that starts with José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán, cousins who marry against the wishes of their parents. They leave their family and village behind and set on a journey to build a new home.

This journey, full of adventure, friends, and events, leads to the founding of Macondo, a utopian town on the banks of a prehistoric river with clear water and a bed of polished stones. The future generations of the Buendía family shape the town, as Marquez's novel unfolds their saga of absurd love, wars, and other impediments until they are cursed to 100 years of solitude.

Adapting such a complex narrative laden with magic realism can be a challenge, and it is easy to understand why the creaters have taken liberties. Claudio Cataño, who plays Colonel Aureliano, told Tudum that constructing every part of the magical town was a big deal for everyone involved in the show. He added,

“I think the scripts and the direction combine both aspects of magic and humanity, of exuberance and realism. From the performing side of it, it was an arduous and exquisite pleasure.”

Alex García López, director of episodes 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8, told Tudum,

“When diving into the adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude, my intention was to create something authentic that carries the stature of an international production, because the story deserves it.”

As it is clear from the viewpoints of people associated with the show, adapting One Hundred Years of Solitude for the screen required a lot of creativity that essentially made them change the main narrative. It is a reason why the show starts where the book ended.

One Hundred Years of Solitude Part 1 is streaming on Netflix.