Rating: 
Summary: Skip this one
Review: In Stephen King's introduction, he raves about the risks Ketchum takes in his novels, risks (presumably) King himself would take if he thought he could get away with it. I didn't see it that way. The story did not "mirror the problems of the 50's" (the threat of nuclear war, corruption in the media, etc.) Instead I thought it was a cheesy, sick novel by a man who tried to set the stage, giving a plausible explanation for the novel's events, then with that out of the way, proceeded to write a sick, sick story. No explanation was made about why Ruth was the way she was. Sure, people do things like this, and worse. Yet in novels like 'Red Dragon' and 'Silence of the Lambs' the reader is given insight into the cause of the sickness, delving back into the sicko's childhood. Here there is no such explanation. And I do not believe that a group of children this large would let such activities continue on without alerting their parents, even in this cynical age in which we live.
Rating: 
Summary: And you thought YOUR family was hellish!!!
Review: For several years now I've been trying to help some people who were abused by their parents (sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical violence, addictions) back in the 1960's and 1970's. So I was drawn to this book, compelled to read it, despite knowing that it would cause me pain! There are important parts of this book which are searing because they are quite true, not just for Meg but for many abused children: being kept isolated, being taught to never talk to police or anyone who might help, then taking the risks of breaking those rules and having the friend/relative/teacher/counselor/police NOT believe you because "he's such a nice man he'd NEVER do anything like that!". And then getting punished again and again and again. Another piece that's powerful because of its truth is the lifelong damage it does to David, the narrator, just becaue he witnessed parts of it close at hand. There is a powerful psychological truth in the overwhelming guilt and pain he feels for not doing more, for not doing enough, for failing to rescue. And in how later in life he is drawn to other women who were victims, who need rescuing. Another important truth that was not recognized is that even his smallest actions to comfort Meg, to help her near the end, were accepted, were needed, as the only acts of kindness anyone had given her in a very long time. This memory is his only salvation. An important lesson that must be taken from this book is how people who choose to be evil love to force everyone around them to participate in their evil. They need to force those around them to be evil just like themselves. Perhaps they do it only to perpetuate the cycle of evil, to force their crimes, their attitudes, onto the next generation. What really scares me, is that somewhere out there is a family of morons who will imitate what's in this book. Please keep the book expensive just to keep it away from children. Let me also recommend other books: in fiction, any of the Flood series by Andrew Vachss; in nonfiction, Scott Peck's "The People of the Lie".
Rating:
Summary: BE AFRAID
Review: I had thought I was just going to read a well-written horror tale but I was only partly correct. This is "Leave It To Beaver" gone straight to hell. This is "Happy Days" directed by David Lynch and Wes Craven. The story is pretty simple and there are novelistic heroics that can be found but what is truly striking, what stands out about this book is the line which the author dares to cross. Some might think it pornographically violent but therein lies his talent. He writes nothing here that hasn't happened in other books in some form or another but it is how he chooses to frame all this horror that makes it truly disturbing. You will want to stop reading but you won't be able to. You will want to somehow help the title character and yet you will feel guilty because you'll want to see how low this tale can take you. It will take you very low and when it's over, it will haunt you for a long time. You'll feel dirty. You may not even want to put it on your bookshelf. Somehow, in reading it, you've become a co-conspirator. That's much more than just rooting for the hero of a novel. It's better and so much worse at the same time. That is Jack Ketchum's talent with this book. Read it and you may weep but I can guarantee a truly unforgettable trip.
Rating:
Summary: You're going to wish you'd never read it ¿
Review: I first heard of Jack Ketchum in a writer's guide in which he had written a chapter for. In that chapter, in fact, at the very beginning, he mentioned THE GIRL NEXT DOOR with its opening line; 'You think you know about pain?' I knew I had to find this book. Finally, a year and a half later, I did. I read it in one night. Not because I had been waiting for so long, but because I couldn't look away from it, no matter how ugly and disturbing it got. That's what this book is. It is dark. It is ugly. And it is disturbing. Most people won't like it. The setting and the characters are all too horribly familiar and real. This is psychological horror at it's finest.
Rating:
Summary: Jack Ketchum is the KING of horror and suspense
Review: If King, Barker, and Koontz terrify you then Jack Ketchum will put you in the grave. His books are a relentless assault on the imagination. What is worse is that he bases his stories on actual events. You MUST read his books.
Rating: 
Summary: Where has this guy been hiding?!?
Review: My neighbors always wave and smile as I drive by. They always dress up for the kids at holloween. They even put up their Christmas decorations last week. They're every family. . . I've always thought of them that way, refreshing, the neighbors we've always wanted--we all want. I've seen their daughter once. Only once. After reading this book, it will be difficult to ever look at them the same way again. I don't know what disturbed me more---the book, or knowing I couldn't put it down. jc
Rating:
Summary: Horribly engrossing
Review: I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime. This one takes the cake for being the boldest, and most graphic. Even more so than Clive Barker. And to me, this is a good thing. Ketchum oversteps the boundaries of politically correctness on every page. The story itself is very simple. A young girl gets torchered in a basement by her legal guardian, and her sons. Why do they do this? We really don't know. I felt for this poor girl. I also felt for the boy who thinks he is in love with her. He can't decide to help her, or help the family with the massacre. This is why, I think, the novel succeeds. There is little plot to the novel. But it is without a doubt a page turner. if you are not easily offended, try this book. It will surprise you, and shock you. And like I said before, this is a good thing.
Rating: 
Summary: Why Re-Publish The Girl Next Door?
Review: The Girl Next Door literally blew me away. A friend told me, "Dave, you've got to read this book. Don't pay any attention to the cover (paperback)." Well, he was right. I finished work late one night and I couldn't wait to get back to the book. I finished it at 6 in the morning. Went to bed. I was so disturbed by what I read that at 7 a.m. I got up and wrote the author a 2 page letter. It was only then that I could get some rest. I discovered than many authors were reading a Xerox copy of this book - passing it around - because the paperback had such a low print run (and was out of print). Of course I realized that I had to publish this book in hardocver. I wanted to publish a special edition of this finely written novel. It deserved another chance, in a special hardcover release. Our limited edition features a Stephen King introduction, afterwords by four authors, and an extensive interview with Jack Ketchum. I'm very proud of the book we've published - inside and out.
Rating:
Summary: Suburban Horror at it's best
Review: Jack Ketchum (Lauren Pain) is in his best form with this chilling novel which not only thrills but exposes the terrors of child abuse in middle class America in the 1950's. At a time when any "family business" was cinsidered taboo to divulge, especially by youngsters. Any fan of "Off Season" will not put this offering down until they reach the last page. For a chilling look in the basement of the "House next door," read THE GIRL NEXT DOOR.
Rating:
Summary: Not what you'd expect
Review: Okay, sure, this is a $75 novel. I know, I know, that's a lot of money. But sadly, it may be your only way to read what may be one of the great American horror novels -- hell, one of the great novels, period. It doesn't help that the only other U.S. edition was a paperback with a skeleton in a cheerleader's outfit (which had nothing to do with the novel, by the way).
Ketchum tells the story (based on fact, like many of his novels) of a teenaged girl who is almost willingly tortured by her guardian. Narrated by her next door neighbor (who's remembering the events years later), Ketchum plays with the reader's emotions and almost makes the reader a conspirator and participant. The effect is unbelievably chilling, as the terror and horror of the events permanently get under your skin. This is not a pretty novel, not a happy novel, but it captures something about childhood and humanity that you will never forget.
|
