NASHVILLE, TN — Derek Holloway, 38, of Nashville, finished the 487-page source novel four days before the theatrical release of its film adaptation Friday, becoming what sociologists are calling a statistically rare individual who did the thing he said he was going to do.

Holloway, a project manager and father of two, announced his intentions in November on a group text thread with seven friends, all of whom responded with affirmations and did not read the book. He completed the final chapter Tuesday evening, set it on the nightstand, and sat quietly for several minutes before informing his wife that he “had some thoughts.”

“I just wanted to be one of those people who could say the book was better,” Holloway told reporters. “Now I’ve read it and I genuinely don’t know what to do with all this context. I understand motivations. I’m emotionally prepared for the third act. It’s unsettling.”

“He texted the group chat ‘the book gives you so much more’ and then none of us responded because none of us read it.”

His friend Cara Simmons, 36, confirmed the group chat had gone silent since Tuesday. “He texted the group chat ‘the book gives you so much more’ and then none of us responded because none of us read it,” Simmons said. “There’s really nothing to say to that.”

Holloway purchased nine tickets for opening night to accommodate friends who declined to join him, then purchased one ticket for himself at a different showtime to avoid questions.

At press time, Holloway had emerged from the theater, stood in the lobby for a long moment, and texted the group chat: “They left so much out.” No one replied.