Ahh!
I may be biased here, but the book is a masterpiece!
It's a lot grittier than the film. There are details about the decline of the Lisbon house that is not done justice with a few key details that were included in the film (like the soggy carpet of newspapers as "Lydia Perl" approaches their door for an interview, or half-eaten sandwich on the landing of the stairs, as Fr. Moody goes to see Mrs. Lisbon, etc.).
The book makes it easier to see that you too are looking at this story through the eyes of the now-adult "boys", trying to make sense of the deaths of girls that, in their own naive and adolescent way, they truly loved and wanted to rescue.
They carry the weight of their deaths...and the obsession of understanding who the girls were, and why they ultimately chose to follow Cecilia to their deaths. It even puts you in their shoes as you wonder why they invited these boys over for their suicides under the pretense of a more conventional form of escape.
There are some small detail differences in the film and book, but this is mostly so we have a protagonist present in each main scene. There is nothing really major.
I highly recommend the book, because it will give a greater depth to the film, and also a totally different "framing" than you might have previously had.
Oh, and as far as some novels go, it's not a long read. I breezed through it in a couple of sittings.
If you can find an online outlet that has it for a good price with free or cheap delivery, then I would tell you that you'd be mad not to at least give it a shot.
I hope this is helpful, in spite of my rampant bias. :P
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