By Lillian Gutsch,
Staff Writer.
The book-turned Netflix series A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a thrilling story about a young woman solving a local murder while maintaining a healthy social life and balancing school. However, like most books turned into shows or movies, not everything is the same.
There are a lot of minor differences, such as the timeline or title, but there are many large details that were changed that affected the plot of the story. Take the character of Nat da Silva as an example. In the book, Andie leaked Nat’s private photos to their entire school. When Nat da Silva got to college, a girl reminded her of Andie so Nat beat her up, sending Nat to jail. However, in the TV show, Nat was one of Andie’s best friends. Nat’s private photos still got leaked, but no one knew who had leaked them.
While Nat was a violent person in the book, the violence she possessed in the TV show was vastly different. She only gave Pip a warning to stay away from the case, which changed the way Pip’s investigation went and whether Pip viewed Nat as a legitimate suspect.
Another major plot change was the way Pip met Howie Bowers. Howie Bowers is the drug dealer who used Andie’s help to deal drugs to students at ragers known as “calamity parties.” In the book, Pip pretends to smoke weed to gain information. She eventually heads to the parking lot by the train station where Howie does most of his dealings, and takes photos of Howie dealing to young teens. This is the leverage that gives Pip the upper hand when interrogating Howie, as she can get him sent to jail. However, in the show, a student brings Pip to Howie in the underground rooms where the party is happening. Pip is scared and has no leverage to hold over Howie’s head and is in a very vulnerable state, so she runs back into the party.
Though there are many differences between the book and the television show, the ending was relatively the same. Pip finds out that Elliot Ward, the dad of Pip’s best friend and Pip’s teacher, was the one who murdered Salil Singh and made it look like a suicide.
But when Pip reevaluates her evidence, she comes to the revelation that someone else killed Andie. When Pip questions Becca over tea, Becca tells her that she fought with Andie and shoved her into a wall. She admits to taking Andie’s body and putting her in a septic tank in an abandoned barn. Once Becca finishes telling her story, Pip begins to feel drowsy. Becca had put Rohypnol in Pippa’s tea and was going to get rid of Pip now that she knew the truth.
I would recommend you read the book more than I would you watch the show because the book shows more of the investigation process. Sophomore Jace Sullivan said, “The storyline [in the film] wasn’t followed at all.” In the show, the dialogue and what is shown on screen tells what’s happening, whereas the book shows Pip’s written out, fact-based investigative process and personal thoughts.
Be sure to go read or watch A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder for an engaging murder mystery!
