(book review)

We often talk about open racism on TV, in media, in books. What about hidden racism, casual little comments, the little attitude we give a foreign worker, ethnic jokes and wicked prejudices? What if that little casual racism is even more dangerous than open aggressive racism? Whilst open racism can be easily turned down, hidden racism can subtly ruin lives. A good illustration of this is given by the book and Netflix series ‘A Good girl’s guide to murder’, by Holly Jackson.

The plot tells us about Pippa Fitz-Amobi, who is a true crime enthusiast, living in a quiet English town. Five years ago, 17-year-old Andrea Bell was killed, while her boyfriend, Salil Singh, was believed to be a murderer. Pippa is firm about Sal being not guilty and gets straight to work.

Holly Jackson amazingly shows how little attitude, racism towards someone, can not only ruin their life, but also ruin the life of their whole family. When Salil is being called a murderer, his family is suffering and losing their reputation. Whilst all the guilt is put on the lad’s shoulders, he wasn’t even there at the time Andie was killed. Those little comments about his skin color, him being a devil, and not a suitable match for Andie, seem more convenient for the police and people around than straight leads and details that Pippa is willing to find out.

Whilst a pretty white girl is left out as someone who definitely can’t be guilty, whilst the school staff is believed to be trustworthy, the innocent young man suffers and takes his own life. When we try to just ignore people who don’t agree with us in real life, what do we do, when the police are sharing those casual homophobic or racist beliefs, not even realizing them? Would you feel safe, knowing that the color of your skin or the person you love are identifying the level of your protection and safety? ‘A good girl’s guide to murder’ shows what exactly can happen in a case when people being responsible for your safety are biased. If your FRIENDS are biased… If your environment is biased… If almost all people in your country are biased… And you can even identify it, because of how casual and ‘harmless’ it is. ‘A good girl’s guide to murder’ is a remarkable program for those who are willing to follow a deep and mindful story whilst exploring social questions and enjoying the company of beloved ones. My rating of the book is 9/10. I do recommend reading it…