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EspañolTHE GIRL NEXT DOOR (NOVEL)
'''The Girl Next Door''' was written by author Jack Ketchum in 1989. It is loosely based on the true story of the murder of Sylvia Likens.
The story is set in 1950's suburban America, told in flashback form by the narrator, David.
After giving a quick tour of his neighborhood and childhood friends, David introduces the readers to Ruth, a single mother and alcoholic amongst other things. Ruth has, over time, gained the trust of the neighborhood children by allowing them to come freely into her home, play as rough as they wish, and even drink an occasional beer with her.
Fast forward to the catalyst of the story when Meg and Susan, Ruth's nieces, come to live with her after the death of their parents. All seems well at first: the girls make friends with the other children and David begins to develop feelings for the sweet and innocent Meg.
However, Ruth's common sense and sanity have been diminishing over time and the burden of having two more children to care for seems to speed up her descent into madness.
Ruth begins verbally abusing the two girls, then becoming physical, often while many of the other neighborhood children are watching. Then, when David and the girls think things couldn't get any worse, Ruth allows the other kids to abuse them, making them feel that because she is an adult giving them such permission, they cannot be punished for their actions.
With both Meg (who is severely injured and on the brink of death) and Susan eventually locked up in the bomb shelter in Ruth's basement, David realizes that he must do something before time runs out and he loses the first girl he ever loved.
However, despite his best attempts, his plan is foiled by Ruth and the children she has under her control. And after one final act of torture, young Meg is finally dead, and the lives of all those involved forever changed.
Although often labeled as a horror novel, the story has no supernatural or even splatterpunk elements. While the descriptions of Meg's systematic torture have been described as anything but mild, the novel is a hard hitting, dramatic morality tale.
The novel was closely based on true events that happened in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1965.
Sylvia Likens, along with her younger sister Jenny, was a young girl who was left by her parents in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski, a single mother of seven children with whom Sylvia had been acquainted with.
As the months passed by, Sylvia began to become the target of Baniszewski's rage, being beaten by not only the elderly woman, but by the children who both lived in and frequented the household. The last days of young Sylvia's life were spent in the basement of the home where she was starved and burned amongst other atrocities.
Only three months after arriving in the home, Sylvia Likens died from her wounds.
A film based on Ketchum's novel was completed in 2007 and has been screened in few, select places around the world, such as London and Montreal. The film, enititled ''The Girl Next Door'', stars Blanche Baker, William Atherton, and Daniel Manche A DVD release has been confirmed for December 2007 and the possibility of a wide theatrical release has been seriously discussed, but is unlikely at this point.
A film based on the actual true story of the Likens murder will also be released in the near future, entitled ''An American Crime'', starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener.
★ [1] The Girl Next Door film official website
★ [2] The Girl Next Door, film
★ [3] Jack Ketchum Website
| Contents |
| Plot summary |
| Reactions |
| Based on Actual Events |
| Film, TV or theatrical adaptations |
| External links |
Plot summary
The story is set in 1950's suburban America, told in flashback form by the narrator, David.
After giving a quick tour of his neighborhood and childhood friends, David introduces the readers to Ruth, a single mother and alcoholic amongst other things. Ruth has, over time, gained the trust of the neighborhood children by allowing them to come freely into her home, play as rough as they wish, and even drink an occasional beer with her.
Fast forward to the catalyst of the story when Meg and Susan, Ruth's nieces, come to live with her after the death of their parents. All seems well at first: the girls make friends with the other children and David begins to develop feelings for the sweet and innocent Meg.
However, Ruth's common sense and sanity have been diminishing over time and the burden of having two more children to care for seems to speed up her descent into madness.
Ruth begins verbally abusing the two girls, then becoming physical, often while many of the other neighborhood children are watching. Then, when David and the girls think things couldn't get any worse, Ruth allows the other kids to abuse them, making them feel that because she is an adult giving them such permission, they cannot be punished for their actions.
With both Meg (who is severely injured and on the brink of death) and Susan eventually locked up in the bomb shelter in Ruth's basement, David realizes that he must do something before time runs out and he loses the first girl he ever loved.
However, despite his best attempts, his plan is foiled by Ruth and the children she has under her control. And after one final act of torture, young Meg is finally dead, and the lives of all those involved forever changed.
Reactions
Although often labeled as a horror novel, the story has no supernatural or even splatterpunk elements. While the descriptions of Meg's systematic torture have been described as anything but mild, the novel is a hard hitting, dramatic morality tale.
Based on Actual Events
The novel was closely based on true events that happened in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1965.
Sylvia Likens, along with her younger sister Jenny, was a young girl who was left by her parents in the care of Gertrude Baniszewski, a single mother of seven children with whom Sylvia had been acquainted with.
As the months passed by, Sylvia began to become the target of Baniszewski's rage, being beaten by not only the elderly woman, but by the children who both lived in and frequented the household. The last days of young Sylvia's life were spent in the basement of the home where she was starved and burned amongst other atrocities.
Only three months after arriving in the home, Sylvia Likens died from her wounds.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
A film based on Ketchum's novel was completed in 2007 and has been screened in few, select places around the world, such as London and Montreal. The film, enititled ''The Girl Next Door'', stars Blanche Baker, William Atherton, and Daniel Manche A DVD release has been confirmed for December 2007 and the possibility of a wide theatrical release has been seriously discussed, but is unlikely at this point.
A film based on the actual true story of the Likens murder will also be released in the near future, entitled ''An American Crime'', starring Ellen Page and Catherine Keener.
External links
★ [1] The Girl Next Door film official website
★ [2] The Girl Next Door, film
★ [3] Jack Ketchum Website
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