written By Paula Limbaugh
In honor of Jack Ketchum Appreciation Day, I wanted to take a look back at one of his early works, published in 1989. If you are a Jack Ketchum fan, you know what you are getting into, but if you are not, beware! Mr. Ketchum is a writer who doesn’t mince words and doesn’t pull any punches.
The Girl Next Door is a horror story, not the kind of horrifying catcalling, but hearing unspeakable abuse and being powerless to do anything about it. Even more horrifying is that this story is based on a real case that happened in Indiana in 1965. In the summer of 1965, Sylvia and Jenny Likens were sent to live with Gertrude Baniszewski. Their mother was in prison, and their father (a carnival worker) gave Gertrude $20 a week to take care of the two girls on the road. When their father stopped sending money to support the two girls, Gertrude became angry and began to take it out on Sylvia. Soon, torture became a daily routine for Sylvia, and Gertrude encouraged her children and some of her friends to join in. In October 1965, at the age of 16, Sylvia finally couldn’t stand the torture inflicted on her.
In Jack’s book 1958, Ruth Chandler’s nieces Meg and Susan are given into her care. The two girls and their parents are in a car accident, and the parents do not survive. Ruth is the “cool” neighborhood mom who lets all the kids hang out at her house. There, they can drink beer, swear, and smoke, and no one will stop them. Ruth Chandler is a single mom raising three sons and struggling financially. Her mental health is already a bit shaky, and the burden of two more children is overwhelming her.
As time went on, Ruth began to resent the people she accused, and what started out as verbal abuse soon progressed to physical abuse. Not content with abusing the girls herself, she encouraged her sons to get involved, and eventually their friends. Ruth always justified her actions, paving the way for others to get involved. David, a boy from the neighborhood, could no longer tolerate this behavior, and he came up with a plan to save the girls.
This story is told by David as an adult in 2007. Meg’s words, “It’s the last thing you do that really matters,” are still on David’s mind, and he recalls the events that led to the unspeakable horrors of his childhood.
I really hope I’ve done this book justice; it’s something you won’t forget long after you’ve read it. It’s worth noting that a movie version of the book of the same name was released in 2007; Jack Ketchum plays a carnival worker! Read it first and watch it later!
Order yours here.
