A review by ericasbookshelves
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

What a dark book, seriously not for the faint of heart. I actually think I made a mistake listening to the audiobook as once i got further into the book, it was difficult to listen to because of the content and I think reading it would have made it slightly easier. Trigger warnings for literally everything, this is easily the most disturbing book I’ve ever read, it’s based off the Sylvia Likens case which is an absolutely horrendous case of abuse, torture and murder. This isn’t an easy read, both because of the subject matter and  the writing, it’s  very abrupt, blunt, and makes you feel like you’re there, which works in the exact way I imagine Ketchum wanted it to. This made me feel disgusted and angry,  I wanted to scream at multiple points while reading it and  some scenes are absolutely burned into my mind.  Overall, this is an incredibly well executed book that I’m hesitant to recommend to anyone, if you do choose to read it.. be prepared, this will stick with you
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