Suitabook

The List of Suspicious Things

Jennie Godfrey

Reading: Consider reading alongside the child, pausing after the girls make their list to discuss evidence, assumptions and the effect of fear. Afterwards, talk about friendship, prejudice and what remains unresolved for Miv.
Themes: Fear and suspicion: Miv and Sharon make a list of suspicious people while the Yorkshire Ripper murders shape how women and girls move through their community. The story treats the crimes and their impact as horrific, while showing that fear can encourage unfair suspicion of outsiders and disliked people.
Female friendship and growing up: Miv and Sharon investigate together while Sharon is further along in puberty and Miv remains more childlike. Friendship is presented tenderly and as important, but also as a relationship affected by unequal pace, changing identity and kindness.
Prejudice and belonging: The village contains racist and misogynistic attitudes, while Mr Bashir is treated as suspicious partly because he is an outsider. Bigotry is exposed as part of the community’s moral landscape rather than endorsed; the investigation also reveals how suspicion can attach to difference.
Worth knowing: The main point to consider is emotional intensity: murders of women, a threatening atmosphere, a mother’s withdrawal linked to depression, racism and misogyny. The treatment is serious rather than presented as entertainment.