The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
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Book Reviews of The Girl Next Door
Book Review: Real life horror
Summary: 4 Stars
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.Book Review: Great book
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great book. I am looking forward to seeing the movie and I truly hope it does the book justice. This is one of Jack Ketchum's best.Book Review: greusome
Summary: 4 Stars
Between good and very good. I'm ordering another of his novels.
KFW
Book Review: The fictionalized account VS the pure facts of this case
Summary: 3 Stars
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.Book Review: What is the reader searching for in this novel?
Summary: 3 Stars
With a nearly 5 star average rating on this book, it was one I considered buying for a bit. I was curious more than anything.
I eventually decided to read it and now I'm left asking myself more the question of "What was I looking for?". The real-life inspiration for this novel intrigued me since its brutality seems unreal in so many ways. What Ketchum meditates on here is the duplicity of its main character, David. I can neither hate him nor sympathize with him - he simply invokes indifference.
The scenes of torture, rape and abuse are abundant.
The dilemma I find with this book is that the writing is actually not bad. Ketchum carves out vivid scenes (even the peaceful ones spattered throughout) and there is certainly a moral tale being told here. But neither of these - together or alone - results in a story that leaves the reader satisfied. The contrived last scene seems cliche and very formulaic, almost as an afterthought. And then I wonder why I picked up the book in the first place.
I think genre fans may find it decent, but beyond that this isn't a book for the average reader (which I consider myself to be).