Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door

[mr ploppy]

I really wish I'd never read this. Can anyone recommend anything to take my mind off it?

[Dr. Drib]

Yes: I recommend every book by Jack Ketchum.



Don

[yakuzaboss]

I read 'The Girl Next Door' in November 2010 and I still think about it and I've read about 80 books since then. My advice would be to read one of your favorite books and go from there.

[mr ploppy]

Doesn't help when I watch Family Guy either.

[jhempel24]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I really wish I'd never read this. Can anyone recommend anything to take my mind off it?

I did a post about this book awhile ago...it's the ONLY book I almost couldn't get through.

Jack Ketchum is a great author though.

There is no other book out there that I can equate to this, and I will NEVER read it again.

I don't have a problem reading much of anything, and I'm rarely offended, but this ONE book is just not something I want to remember.

[xg4bx]

i think a good test of ones constitution is Survivor by JF Gonzalez. i've read countless "extreme" horror novels and this one is still a doozy.

"It is supposed to be a romantic weekend getaway. Lisa is looking forward to spending time alone with her husband—and telling him that they are going to have a baby. Instead, it becomes a nightmare when her husband is arrested and Lisa is kidnapped. But the kidnappers aren’t asking for ransom. They want Lisa herself. They’re going to make her a star—in a snuff film.

What they have in mind for Lisa is unspeakable. They plan to torture and murder her as graphically and brutally as possible, and to capture it all on film. If they have their way, Lisa’s death will be truly horrifying…but even more horrifying is what Lisa will do to survive.… "

i read this book years ago, there are scenes that still won't go away. it truly breaks some of the biggest taboos.


in terms of Ketchum, Red is a very good novel. he has a lot of character focused, "american gothic" novels. every book of his isn't torture torture torture but they're strong, frankly depressing works. he seems to primarily focus on blue collar/salt of the earth/forgotten people i.e. vietnam veterans, mothers struggling against the justice system (Stranglehold is about a mother fighting the justice system and trying to keep her kid away from her abusive husband), Red is a class warfare novel, etc.

[jhempel24]

The Girl Next Door isn't really "extreme" horror. The whole reason it's so sickening is A.) It's based on a true story, B.) It takes the innocence you had as child that comes back when you read it and rips it to shreds, and C.) It deals with children, and I have a much more difficult time with that than with adults.

I'm going to read Survivor because it sounds interesting, but I think that these are two different animals.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

The Girl Next Door isn't really "extreme" horror. The whole reason it's so sickening is A.) It's based on a true story, B.) It takes the innocence you had as child that comes back when you read it and rips it to shreds, and C.) It deals with children, and I have a much more difficult time with that than with adults.

I'm going to read Survivor because it sounds interesting, but I think that these are two different animals.

i'd put the girl next door under extreme horror because,imo, it is. yes its based on a true story but i think turning it into fiction pushes it into the horror realm. and certainly there are elements in it that most readers would consider "extreme".

but i'm just splitting hairs lol, i see your point.


just a heads up: if violence against children bothers you, pass Survivor by. trust me. i'm not even kidding.

[jhempel24]

Really?? wow, I didn't get that impression from the read...but I've got it...so I might not finish lol. It's it's super over-the-top, then it won't bother me because it's just silly...but I was shocked a couple times in Clickers....not really bothered, but was like...wow, they just killed him...who the hell is left now?

Clickers if you haven't read it is one of the best B-Movie Moster books I've read...just awesome.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

Really?? wow, I didn't get that impression from the read...but I've got it...so I might not finish lol. It's it's super over-the-top, then it won't bother me because it's just silly...but I was shocked a couple times in Clickers....not really bothered, but was like...wow, they just killed him...who the hell is left now?

Clickers if you haven't read it is one of the best B-Movie Moster books I've read...just awesome.

yea, there's a scene in Survivor that will stay with you. It involves an infant and i'll leave it at that.

Clickers is a great series. i've read the first two books but haven't read the 3rd
one yet. the 2nd book is a lot of fun. supposedly there's going to be a 4th book and from what i've heard they seem to be pushing the series in a more lovecraftian and zombie direction. i guess thats brian keene's influence on the series.



if you like over-the-top monster books check out Biohazard by Tim Curran. its a very lurid and "gooey" nuclear apocalypse novel filled with giant insects and mutants. its so over the top with its creatures and descriptions that its almost funny but its a very fun read.

Tim Curran is a great, horribly underrated horror author in general. he's written everything from lovecraftian novels to horror westerns. his Dead Sea is an awesome, atmospheric novel involving the bermuda triangle. his novel Resurrection is "The Stand" of zombie novels. its almost 700 pages long but consistently good.

[caleb72]

A book to add to my wish list at Amazon.

[jhempel24]

I will check BOTH Curran books out...they sound fantastic!

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

i'd put the girl next door under extreme horror because,imo, it is. yes its based on a true story but i think turning it into fiction pushes it into the horror realm. and certainly there are elements in it that most readers would consider "extreme".

I wouldn't really say it was "extreme", he doesn't really go into that much detail about the violence, it's more implied than anything else. I've certainly read books that are a lot more extreme in terms of descriptive violence. Just before this I read Population Zero by Wrath James White, but that didn't affect me much at all and those were babies.

I'm not sure what it is about Girl Next Door, maybe because I read it blind without knowing what it was about (one of my neighbours lent it to me). The first 30 pages made me think it was some sort of teenage romance story, and I could identify quite strongly with the narrator's shyness around "women" at that age. Then all that empathy got shattered when he just stood by and watched.

Apparently there's a film version coming out soon. I doubt I'll watch it, but it would be interesting to see how they handle it.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by jhempel24

Clickers if you haven't read it is one of the best B-Movie Moster books I've read...just awesome.

What did you think of Clickers 3? I was pretty disappointed with that one myself. It "jumped the shark", I think is the expression, when they added religion to it and tried to shoe-horn Brian Keene's other books into it.

[jhempel24]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

The first 30 pages made me think it was some sort of teenage romance story, and I could identify quite strongly with the narrator's shyness around "women" at that age. Then all that empathy got shattered when he just stood by and watched.

Apparently there's a film version coming out soon. I doubt I'll watch it, but it would be interesting to see how they handle it.

Film version came out a couple years ago, I've not watched it.

But yeah....that whole setup about young love and then everything that happened...was just...wow.

I've never read Clickers II, or III, I want to though.