Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum

27 reviews

andrea_95's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Please be aware that this book is a lot to handle. It is not only scary, it is terrifying, and will leave you completely speechless by what is happening. It is based on the true murder of Sylvia Likens which makes the reading experience even more uncomfortable and tense. It is a book that will stay with you and make you question whether humanity is inherently good when stuff like this actually happened.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Blood, Excrement, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Car accident and Death of parent

horrorandscience's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Fatphobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

multiple uses of the R-word, slut shaming

ten_telegrams's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Car accident

Minor: Infidelity and Excrement

meaghanelizabook's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Self harm, Excrement, Car accident, and Alcohol

ashdenfield's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual assault, Torture, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Alcoholism and Car accident

kb13's review

I'm not sure where to start. Obviously I knew this was a violent book but I could not stomach the ways in which the author tried to give the narrator some sort of moral ambivolence and the ending message of

that really you are judged by your last action not all of the ways you were complicit in horrible things before that was ridiculous to me.

. Perhaps it felt more upsetting because I was listening to it on an audio book but I really wouldn't reccomend this book at all. If you're at all interested in this case I'm sure there are podcasts you can listen to that would give you all the info without the attempted moral ambiguity. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

sarahasyouwish's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In this book, Ketchum brings us the fictionalized account of the true events which happened to 16 year old Sylvia Likens in 1965. This book is not for the faint of heart, and it is made all the more horrifying knowing that it is based on true events. If you need content warnings, the chances are good that this book includes some if not all of them. Read with caution. I had to pause my reading at several points to just step away from the hurt and pain being inflicted upon Meg, the fictional Sylvia, in this book. Ketchum’s choice to tell this story from the perspective of a neighbor boy who initially befriends Meg and later is witness to most of her abuse and torture without actively participating is a smart choice as it allows the reader to see the evil being done without being in the minds of one of the abusers. Without that bit of distance, this book would not have been readable for me. The first half of the book moves along relatively slowly as you get to know and like the characters which makes the second half all the more disturbing. The book definitely caused me to question the humanity of people, our willingness to go along with things, the level of depravity to which we can sink, and the circumstances under which we will or won’t speak up in the presence of evil.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Torture

Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Death of parent