By: Jack Ketchum Publisher: Overlook Connection Press Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Overlook Connection Press Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 244 Publication Date: July 15, 2003 Release Date: July 15, 2003
Product Description: Suburbia in the 1950s, a dark side emerging in the Chandler house for teenage Meg and her crippled little sister Susan --captive to an Aunt, who is rapidly descending into madness. "The Girl Next Door is alive.... in a way most works of poplular fiction never attain; it does not just promise terror but actually delievers it. But it's a page-turner, all right; no doubt about that." - Stephen King
The fictionalized account VS the pure facts of this case I recently watched An American Crime, the film based on this true story of the 1965 imprisonment & torture of 16 yr old Sylvia Likens in an Indiana home. The director of the film admitted he had held back in his account...keeping it purposely lower key (which I think is a grave disservice to the victims). I was stunned by this story and searched for more information on it, wondering how much worse it could possibly have been. I found a plethora of info on CourtTV's web page, read the chapters presented there, was even more stunned with the additional facts presented there, & made note of the references to all the material that has been published covering this case, determined to try to understand the full scope of this story. I found TGND at my library. I was quite disappointed with this book - finding the court/truTV account much more riveting. The first third or so of Ketchum's book dragged on..it felt like I was reading a story geared to teenagers. The torture of Sylvia is horrendous, made even more macabre by the cold participation of the children in the family and neighborhood. But the book didn't get me inside any of these characters, including the mother, & wasn't particularly well written. For me, the fictionalized twists offered by the author actually detracted from the true story. There was so much potential here in the pure facts of the case that wasn't given to us; a story the likes of which would be hard to match.
Riveting The Girl Next Door is one of the few books that I have read that I absolutely could not put down. I devoured the book in just under 24 hours. The story focuses on David, a young teen, and what he witnesses as Meg and her sister move in with a neighbor, Ruth.
The story builds slowly, hinting at the horrors to come, and then explodes into one of the most brutal, riveting, and memorable books you will ever read. Ketchum does a wonderful job at allowing the tension and to build, and does so with with amazing flow.
There has been much said about the graphic nature of this book. Please note that this story is by no means "torture porn". Sure, there is inhuman cruelty, and sure, it is shocking in its impact. But the real reason that The Girl Next Door will turn your stomach and leave you in tears is because this is based on a true story and you simply cannot believe what one human can do to another.
You will remember Meg, Ruth and David, and they will linger with you for quite some time. That is the highest compliment I can give this book. A must read.
Horrifying Wow, when you find out that there is information left out of this book b/c it's too digusting or horrifying to relate you know you've got a good piece of horror. I read this book in a day, & was completely mesmerized by Ketchum's storytelling. I thought the 1st person point of view was really interesting, you find yourself pulling for him & maybe not really wanting the believe that he acutally participated (passivley anyway).
I would recommend it for any horror lover, the fact that it's rooted in truth makes it even more terrifying!
Real life horror Good story, very emotional, overall a good read, but I felt Ketchum held back at certain key points of this book where he could have really floored his audiences. Who knows, maybe there will be an uncensored edition.
Brutal I picked this book up on the fly yesterday at Barnes N Noble during my lunch break. Just thought "Hey, that looks interesting"...didn't even know about the movie. I got home at six, read through dinner, and finished this thing at eleven last night while a bad storm was ripping through the northeast. It's the most difficult, challenging, and brutal book I have ever read, the fact that it is inspired by real events making it all the worse.
I generally don't read stuff dealing with the issues you come across in "Girl Next Door", but I felt that I had to sit down and read this thing because stuff like this really happens. It's not just the one case this book is inspired by, but this stuff happens all over the world and more often than people care to imagine. That's what to think about when you get to the meaty, grotesque scenes in the story.
It's not just the plot, but Ketchum's prose is outstanding. You feel what David feels, experience what he experiences, and you keep turning and turning the pages to go deeper into the story.
Read this, it opens your eyes and moves your heart.
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