About this title: 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 popular fiction never attain; it does not just promise terror but actually delivers it. But it's a page ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Warner Books [1989], [New York]
Date Published: 1989
ISBN-13:9780446349093ISBN:0446349097
Description: Very Good. First edition. First printing of this paperback original. "The nightmare began the day she moved in..." 232 pages. VG copy [light creasing and very scattered light edge wear to the spine, very shallow lower corner crease to the front cover, cheap paper tanning]. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Overlook Connection Press, US
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780963339744ISBN:0963339745
Description: New. BRAND NEW and ready for dispatch. Delivery normally within 4/7 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
Description: Octavo, boards. First hardcover edition. One of 500 numbered copies signed by Ketchum, introducer Stephen King, and the other contributors. The author's fourth novel. First published as a paperback original by Warner Books in 1989. Reginald 27096. A fine copy in fine dust jacket and paper slipcase. (#116079) read more
Description: Octavo, boards. First hardcover edition. One of 500 numbered copies signed by Ketchum, introducer Stephen King, and the other contributors. The author's fourth novel. First published as a paperback original by Warner Books in 1989. Reginald 27096. A fine copy in fine dust jacket and paper slipcase. (#128603) read more
Edition: Unknown Printing
Binding: S Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Leisure Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780843955439ISBN:0843955430
Description: Good. Brief summary of content available on request by e-mail. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: LEISURE BOOKS
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780843960976ISBN:0843960973
Description: New. A teenage girl is held captive and brutally tortued by neighborhood children. Based on a true story, this shocking novel reveals the depravity of which we are all capable. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Leisure Books
Date Published: 2005-05-31
ISBN-13:9780843955439ISBN:0843955430
Description: New. NEW-Ships standard or expedited next business day! **Please check our feedback for speedy shipping** Thank you for shopping at Treasures2--We appreciate your business. BL102509. read more
"This book started iff kind of slow but just when you think it picks up..I couldnt put the book down. This is a first time reading one of Jack Ketchums books. Worth every penny"
"This book is set in 1958 and is about 14-year-old Meg and her younger sister Susan who have to live at their aunt Ruth's and her three sons because their parents died in a car crash. Ruth begins to get annoyed by the girls, especially by Meg and starts to humiliate and finally torture her by letting her sons and other kids from the neighborhood watch and participate.
I thought that this book is a really disturbing one and definitely something to think about during reading and even afterwards. While reading it I repeatedly had to stop reading as I couldn't quite believe what I was reading because it was so brutal. What's especially disturbing is the way Ruth explains to the kids why she just has to do the things she does to Meg. She uses to give speeches about why it has to be done and for a person who does not have any moral boundaries, some of her conclusions seem pretty logical and therefore there is no other way for Ruth and the others but to torture Meg. You can't believe how much I hated this woman and her sons, there was a constant anger that just paused by a strong feeling of even more than pity towards Meg, who really is such a nice and beautiful girl, on the outside as on the inside.
All in all, this is a story not appropriate for the very sensitive minds but it once again shows that it isn't right to look away and don't help if you see something wrong going on."
"This was quite possibly one of the most vile and disturbing stories I've ever read. It's a testament to how well Ketchum writes that I didn't simply put it down. I felt a little better after reading the note from the author at the end of the book -- apparently he had taken parts of a true life story he'd read about and made a fictional story from it. On one hand, I'm glad this sick story wasn't the invention of someone for entertainment purposes. On the other hand, it makes me question humanity that this is even loosely based on events that have happened in "real" life.
Despite the disturbing nature of the story, it was extremely well written and a very quick read. It's like a car wreck -- you don't really want to see the bloody carnage on the side of the road, but you can't make yourself turn away. Ketchum always writes stories where you're truly not sure how it's going to end and rarely is there a happy ending."
"First, I feel a need to say that the violence in the book, while extreme, is not the reason for the low rating. I've read much, much worse (Hogg by Samuel Delaney), and I can deal with it. What I take issue with here is the amateurish writing, the frustratingly stupid narrator, and the predictable plot."
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