A review by sarahasyouwish
The Girl Next Door, by Jack Ketchum

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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