By Ruchira Sharma and Shola Lee, Journalist
BBC/Moonage PicturesFor Emma Myers, taking on the role of Pip Fitz-Amobi – the tenacious protagonist of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – was just a little bit “daunting”, she says.
“There are so many book fans,” says the actor, known for her roles in Netflix’s Wednesday and Family Switch. Still, “it feels good” to take on such a beloved character, Emma adds.
TikTok’s reading community, known as BookTok, has helped catapult titles to viral fame. And one of those is Holly Jackson’s 2019 debut A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
The young adult crime story has now been adapted into an upcoming BBC series, starring Emma as Pip and Zain Iqbal as co-detective Ravi Singh. The pair dig into a murder case involving Ravi’s brother to try to prove his innocence.
Fans have been eagerly awaiting the BBC series dropping. “I’ve actually just screamed,” said one, when they first heard it was announced.
The book’s author Holly says she is “just so grateful that TikTok and BookTok exist because if they didn’t, I don’t know that we would be here making this show”.
‘Sense of justice’
Actor Emma says she doesn’t see too many similarities between herself and the role she plays.
“I’m not as intelligent as she is,” Emma says. “I have a harder time putting things together and I don’t think I’d have the guts to confront as many people as she does.”
For Emma, there’s a lot to learn from the character, however, like her “sense of justice”.
In the story, despite being pressured to stop her investigation, Pip refuses – and puts herself in danger to find answers.
“She’s very strong in her opinion of what she thinks is right and wrong,” Emma says. “I think it’s good for young people to watch these sorts of things and see themselves in it.”
BBC/Moonage PicturesThe will-they-won’t-they romantic tension between Pip and Ravi is a big part of the story – and BookTok fans have loved championing their relationship (or “shipping” as the Internet calls it).
Pip and Rav’s relationship starts off tense, with Pip determined to investigate the murder involving Ravi’s brother – something he and his family are desperately trying to move on from. But the pair grow closer over time, and he jokingly nicknames her “Sarge”.
Emma says that even if their interpretation of the characters is “different from the book”, she is really pleased with the portrayal.
‘Teen angst and antics’
Natalie Wall from the University of Liverpool, who is researching online book communities, says: “BookTok is very powerful when it comes to amplifying books into the zeitgeist, although its trends and favourite books can change quite rapidly.”
Popular BookTok videos are either emotionally charged or aesthetically driven, she explains.
Some TikTok videos about A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, for example, see people screaming and crying, alongside captions like “when I learned what really happened” in the storyline.
BBC/Moonage PicturesAuthor Holly says the appeal of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is that it merges several worlds into one.
“We have lots of teenage angst and antics and those laugh-out-loud moments where they’re going to the cool kid’s party for the first time, and it’s fun and exciting,” she says. “And then, suddenly, you’re slapped around the face with the dark adult world of the crime thriller.”
“I do think that’s the unique selling point of both the book and the show.”
Holly argues there are “no limits” in young adult fiction.
“I’ve learned it can be just as dark and horrible as adult fiction.”
You can watch A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on BBC iPlayer from Monday 1 July.
