THE GIRL NEXT DOOR by Jack Ketchum

"The Girl Next Door is alive. It does not just promise terror, but actually delivers it." — Stephen King

About a year ago, I had read on www.joblo.com/arrow that this book was being adapted into a film. I had never heard of it before (although it obviously shares its title, but should not be confused with the funny 2005 teen sex comedy), so out of curiosity, I picked it up. The quote above, which appears on the book’s cover was what made me purchase it.  I am not a fan of reading books before seeing the film, especially with horror. However, a quote like that from a guy like King can just NOT be ignored. I had barely an idea what it was about, and the mystery intrigued me. What frightening tale lay ahead of me within those 340 pages? Did it live up to the year long anticipation I had for it?

    You know when you read those reviews on book covers that say something along the lines of "a real page turner"? I see them all of the time, but I will be honest that I have never read one I would give that title. I am a film guy, more than a book guy, but that does not mean that I don’t love to read and do it whenever I can. However, even with many books that I had read and cherished, I have never read a book that made me so desperate to get to the next page to find out what was to occur next. I can now officially say that I have.

    The Girl Next Door is one of the most frightening, suspenseful, gruesome, and twisted books I have ever read! You can quote me on that. I am not going to dive too much into the plot of the book for fear of ruining anything, but the book tells the story of two young sisters, one sixteen, the other nine, who move into the home of their aunt and three male cousins  in a peaceful suburb during the 1950s. Told through the point-of-view of the boy who lives next door, we witness the brutal torture of the young girls at the hands of their insane aunt, and her children.

    The most frightening thing about this book is its monsters, who are totally human, and that there is no doubt in your mind that the events in this book have really occurred probably many many times (The book itself is based on an actual account that happened in 1965). These people are truly pure evil!

    Ketchum possesses the Stephen King gift of establishing true to life characters that you really tfeel for before the horror is unleashed upon them., and it is that concern for the characters that kept me turning the pages as fast as I could! Also, Ketchum perfectly captures the innocence and weakness of childhood even better than King did himself in It. The character of David is sympathetic in that he knows he is a child who cannot stand up to an adult, yet he is repulsive for he does not try to stop the horrible proceedings. Characters this beautifully complex are so rarely achieved! By the time I had finished the book and gone through one wild ride to Hell and back, I was completely emotionally drained. In fact, today I’ve been really tired. Am I depressed? Perhaps! And that demonstrates the greatness of this book!

    This book is definitely not for everyone! It is much more graphic and twisted than the casual horror reader can handle. The quoted reviews on the cover of the book do not lie when they warn that it’s not for the squeamish. To use movies as a reference, this is not Saw or Hostel territory. This is more The Last House On the Left, I Spit On Your Grave, and Irreversible caliber material. And even those hardcore films aren’t nearly as disturbing as this book will leave you. I honestly don’t know how this movie is going to be made. It is literally that extreme! It will be interesting, but this is definitely one of those rare times when I am glad I have read the book first. And I will guarantee you that Jack Ketchum is right on top of my "To Read All the Work Of" list. King is not kidding when he said that this guy is the "best in the business!" 4/4