“A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder” brings the popular book series to life
What would you do for the truth? The film adaptation of the beloved YA book “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,” by Holly Jackson, was released to Netflix on Aug. 1. It tells the story of Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi, played by Emma Myers, a teen girl eager to solve the murder of Andi Bell, played by India Davies. Andie was murdered five years ago by her boyfriend, Salil “Sal” Singh, played by Rahul Pattni, at least that is what the police say, and Pippa intends to prove them wrong. As she enlists the help of Sal’s younger brother, Ravi, played by Zain Iqbal, they start to find missing pieces of the puzzle. However, as they uncover more of the gruesome details that the police failed to look for, it begs the question of if they are willing to pay the price of justice for the safety of their family and friends.
Something that I admired about the plot was that the creators did not shy away from showing the effects of Pip pushing school, her friends and family away to solve the case. I find that in most shows that follow the same plot line of a child solving a murder, they neglect to show viewers the consequences on the protagonist’s psyche, leaving me wondering how it affected her family and friends. It made Pip seem more real and relatable.
Emma Myers did an exceptional job playing her character. Although she does look a bit young, she encapsulates Pip’s intelligence and determination whilst also displaying how the case is weighing down her and her friends and family.
Some of the book’s details, like Ravi’s dialogue, had to be reduced or taken out to fit the show. Although I know that this can not be avoided when adapting a book into a film, some of my favorite parts of the book were his witty jokes. One of my favorite quotes from him in the first book was when they were breaking into the Bells’ house and Ravi says, “Real men wear floral when trespassing.” Looking back, it felt like I did not get to see much of Ravi at all, which was disappointing. It made his and Pip’s romance feel forced because of the lack of tension between the characters beforehand.
One thing that stood out to me was the use of flashbacks. Throughout the series, they show one scene from Pip’s memory multiple times. Sal asks Pip where Andi is and that is the last time she saw him before their deaths. They use this scene to show her doubts that Sal is innocent and they build on this layout throughout the series. This made the show even more enticing and it let the audience figure out the true story instead of spelling it out for them.
Despite the changes from the book to the show, the quality acting and unique storytelling makes it a must watch for the fall. This series is for new fans and fanatics of the book series alike.
