Posts Tagged ‘book’
This article originally published in July 2006 on a site that’s no longer up.
When it comes to Stephen King books, I tend to like almost all of them. Whether he’s writing in the genre of horror, thriller, science fiction or drama, I find them all enjoyable to various degrees. Even his technical books about writing have been great reads. If I had to pick a favorite, though, I’d have to say that I like his short stories and novellas best of all. Not to suggest that I don’t enjoy his full-length novels, because I do immensely, but a good short story is not that common. King has a definite skill for the craft.
The Skeleton Crew, which came out in the 80’s, was just such a collection. Not only does it have nineteen short stories, there are two poems and a novella included as well. Beyond this, the introduction and notes at the end go even further towards creating one hell of a good time for readers, using King’s trademark coversational style and seemingly open approach to communication. Published in 1985, just two years after Different Seasons (another of his anthology books), the works presented span 17 years and 512 pages (in the hardbound edition I read) of writing.
This article is going to be released in two parts. I’ll cover 11 of the writings in this half and the rest in the final posting. So, enough of my rambling, let’s get to the review.
"The Mist" – The opening piece isn’t a short story, it’s actually considered a novella. It was first published in Dark Forces, a horror anthology edited by Kirby McCauley, in 1980. Set in the small town of Bridgeton, Maine, the tale centers around an artist named David Drayton and his son Billy. They become trapped in their local grocery store as a mysterious layer of, well, mist smothers their town. It’s rumored that the bizarre incident is somehow related to a secret military project said to be taking place at a nearby military base. You’ll get to see King’s take on just what happens when people from our modern age get flung back through the centuries into fear and superstition.
This novella was adapted into a text-based computer game, was the inspiration for the video game Half-Life and quite possibly Silent Hill, which was not only a game but also made into a movie. An audio version of it is available on cassette or CD and it’s actually in development, at the time of this article’s publication, as a full-length feature film. Frank Darabont is set to direct. You may remember him as the director of both Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile. I’m really looking forward to being able to watch this play out on screen because I found this particular novella to be extremely cinematic long before I knew of its actual production as a film. [you can read my review of the Mist now]
"Here There Be Tygers" – While it is true that Ray Bradbury has a story bearing this same title, this story is not in any way science fiction. It’s a short piece that focuses on a young boy of elementary school age who believes that there are tigers in the bathroom. Not my favorite in the book, but it’s not terrible either. My struggle with it was that it required a bit more childlike thinking than I felt like doing when I read it. It’s also interesting to note that it was written in 1968, when Stephen King was 18 years old, apparently as his first story that would one day actually be published (not his first story ever published, though).
"The Monkey" – Continuing on with the animal theme, up next we’ve got this little literary offering. Here we’re told the story of one of those little stuffed monkeys that is wound up so that it can clang a small pair of cymbals together. These things really creeped me out as a kid, so I felt instantly at home with this story. Fortunately I never encountered one similar to the toy monkey in this story, because that one predicts people’s death. This was a very classic style of horror tale. Overall, I enjoyed it quite alot.
"Cain Rose Up" – Here we’ve got a depressed college student. You know what happens when college kids get depressed, right? Yep, they go on homicidal sniper rampages from the comfort of their own dorm rooms! This one might remind you of Rage by Richard Bachman. That’s because Richard Bachman is just a pseudo-name for Stephen King, silly. This story is kind of disturbing, honestly, because it has an intensely real feel to it. I couldn’t help but think of Apt Pupil as I read it, either. One might begin to think that Mr. King has considered a career in the mercenary sharpshooting industry after reading this one.
"Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut" – Redbook magazine first published this short story in 1984. The plot stars the free-spirited character Mrs. Todd (who reminds me of The Wind in the Willows‘ Mr. Toad). She’s obsessed with finding a shorter route between her home and her workplace. She does find something, alright but I’m not going to blow the surprise by detailing that here. I really enjoyed this one because the main character is alot of fun to read about.
"The Jaunt" – First published in The Twilight Zone Magazine (1981), this story is not so much a horror tale as it is a science fiction tale. Okay, it’s actually a fine mixture of both. It’s set in a future where people, amazingly, still rent time on computers. The "jaunt" being referred to is actually a super-duper new way to travel: to planets beyond Earth. In this world, Exxon/Mobile and other giants of the petroleum industry are now water purification companies thanks to an oil crash in the earlier part of the 21st century. King mentions "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester which turns out to be the inspiration for this story. The plot centers around a family that is about to jaunt and what happens to them when something unexpected happens. If you’re at all interested in the possibilities of teleportation you’ll really enjoy this one’s imaginative presentation.
"The Wedding Gig" – Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine first published this story in 1980. It’s told from perspective of a band’s leader. Basically, this band is asked to perform at a wedding. Of course, that in itself wouldn’t really make for a tale of much interest to anyone. As expected, the situation deteriorates in typical King fashion. Though it’s not an utterly brilliant story, it’s a good one and a definite step out of what you might’ve come to expect from its author.
"Paranoid: A Chant" – Before reading this book I wasn’t aware that Stephen King wrote poetry, though I’m not flabbergasted that he has. This is one of the two poems in the book and it’s 100 lines in total. It’s a first-person narration of a person’s diary and this person just happens to be a paranoid schizophrenic. They’re seeing threats and persecution at every turn. They’re recording every wrong they perceive as having been done to them. The poem is "recursive" which means it ends the same way it began. Not only does this poem tie into the Dark Tower series, it’s also connected to The Stand. There was an 8-minute short film made about it as well, which was for some time available via download. It’s an interesting piece that changes the pace a bit, so that’s a plus.
"The Raft" – Gallery, a "men’s magazine" first published this story in 1982. The story revolves around two college aged couples who set out for a swim in a Pennsylvania lake. Of course, King can’t just tell us this story, so you know to expect some sort of danger, right? You’ll get one of his stranger "monsters" in this one. It was also committed to film in 1987 as a part of Creepshow 2, directed by Michael Gornick who used a screenplay by George Romero.
As an intriguing sidenote, King submitted this story to the magazine Adam, where it was supposed to be published in 1969. However, he’s never been able to locate a single printing of it as far as I know. He was paid for it, though and the check actually ended up preventing him from having to do jail time when he was unable to pay a fine.
"Word Processor of the Gods" – Originally titled "Word Processor", this story made its debut in the January 1983 issue of Playboy magazine. Since no one actually reads the words in that magazine, especially stories about word processors, King decided to include it with this anthology. It’s a pretty neat concept, really. Basically, the lead character is a miserable man who was gifted with a word processor by his nephew. That’d be pretty mundane, but this nephew is a marvellous genius who later perishes in a tragic accident. The man finds out that his gift can actually alter reality and that’s where things get interesting. I enjoyed this one and also learned that it was included in a November 25, 1984 episode of Tales from the Darkside, a TV series.
"The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" – This is the final story we’ll be taking a look at in part one of this review. First published in the 1982 horror anthology Shadows 4, edited by Charles L. Grant, this story is told by a wealthy gentleman from society’s upper echelons. It’s a classic sort of tale that feels quite genuine and almost as if you’re hearing it from a cigar-smoking old timer around a fireplace rather than reading it in a book. The man referenced in the title has been cursed, but you’ll have to actually read the story in order to find out more, because I am The Man Who Will Not Spoil Stories.
Here you go: Part 2 of The Skeleton Crew by Stephen King to finish this review!
Originally posted: November 15, 2007 @ 2:36am PST
Longtime readers of the site may have noticed that I don’t review books very often. My first post on here was a review of the vampire novel Nightblood (click HERE to read), and that has been about it. I’ve focused more on movies and video games, letting my friend GlowStormLion usually handle the literary side of the coin. However, a couple months ago, the author of this book, Austin Williams, contacted me with the opportunity to write a review of it before it comes out in the stores and I took him up on his offer. What you are reading is a sneak preview of Crimson Orgy
.
Crimson Orgy tells the story of Sheldon Meyer, a director of grindhouse films, and his efforts in 1965 to film what he sees as his masterpiece, Crimson Orgy, a movie that in later years gets a reputation for being the first true snuff film ever made. Other characters in the book include Gene Hoffman, Meyer’s producer and partner in the movie studio, who has a magic touch with the production members; Vance Cogburn, alcoholic leading man; Sonny Platt, sheriff’s deputy who starts off cordial with the film crew but gradually grows frosty to them; Cliff the Grip, Sheldon and Gene’s right-hand man who develops a friendship with the leading lady; Jerry Cooke, playing the heavy of the film, Ace Spade, who’s descending into the mind of his character as a "method" actor; and Barbara Cheston, said leading lady who literally doesn’t know what the movie has in store for her, as Meyer, for some reason, only gives her the day’s shooting script.
After a prologue describing the legend surrounding the film Crimson Orgy (which really made me feel like it was an actual film), we open in the middle of the first night of filming, where problems have already started coming up. Deputy Platt, who had promised a police car for filming, then demanded a speaking role for the scene, has reneged on his end of the deal, forcing Cliff the Grip to rig up an imitation police light system – to limited success. We get a rundown of Meyer and Hoffman’s working relationship, from early "nudie cuties" through to the current slasher boom, with Crimson Orgy being the sixteenth film they’ve worked on. Over the course of the first few chapters, we meet all of the major characters and are treated to a behind-the-scenes look at how low-budget movies were filmed in the 1960’s throughout the whole book.
First off, I want to thank Mr. Williams for the opportunity to write a review of this book. All of my life, I’ve been a reader and while I haven’t always found a way to bring my admiration for the books I read into print, I’ve enjoyed just about everything I’ve read. The characters in the book definitely came alive for me and made me feel for them. I especially enjoyed the interaction between Meyer and Barbara where she tries to figure out what drives Meyer into making the movies he does. I also like the slow build-up of events that lead to the climax of the book, and how the filming of the movie deteriorates as more and more things go wrong during the shoot, leading to one of the crew members to mention the filming being cursed.
I give the book a 5 out of 5. Anyone with an interest in the way classic grindhouse style movies were filmed will enjoy this book. I’m hoping to bring everyone some more book reviews in the near future. In the meantime, take care of yourselves, and as always, until next time, this is Red Hawk signing out!
We’ve achieved a milestone here at Happy Horror today: our second year of operation!
I decided as something of a ‘special feature‘ I’d ask us all four questions that might give you loyal visitors some insight into who we are and what we’re about. Since our re-building of the site you’ve been putting up with alot of material being re-posted and we appreciate that! We’ve been striving to have atleast some new content daily. And if you’re visiting us for the first time, that’s okay, too! Make yourself at home and let’s get to those burning questions.
By the way, each of us answered these questions without talking about them. The idea was to get the most candid responses possible. Here goes!
Question #1: What memories do you have of the very beginning of Happy Horror?
Red Hawk’s response: My earliest memories are of getting everything set up, discussing with GlowStormLion & glittersoul what could qualify for the site and the brainstorming that went on in the beginning. Then I kind of rushed through my initial post with Nightblood (click HERE to read it), but I think I’ve picked up the quality since then.
Glittersoul’s response: The beginning of Happy Horror was an exciting time for us all and gave us something to do with all the movies and entertainment we already submersed ourselves in.
GlowStormLion’s response: I remember those first sweaty days with incredible clarity. The idea for the site struck and we capitalized on it swiftly. Within days we’d gotten it all set up and began to get a trickle of visitors. Used to be we’d get FIFTY people and I’d shriek for joy. All that work was such a rush, just getting the site set up as best we could. I always hoped people would enjoy it and judging by the e-mails, they do!
Question #2: What’s been your favorite article to write and why?
Red Hawk’s response: I have a few articles that stand out in my mind as favorites. One was Gaoranger Versus Super Sentai (click HERE to read it), my first five part article. Another is my review of Crimson Orgy (which we’ll be posting soon.) as it was the first time someone involved with a property approached me to review it (and hopefully not the last)! Finally, my Dark Ride article (click HERE to read) which earned me a thank you from the director himself.
Glittersoul’s response: Wishmaster (click HERE to read it) because I liked researching the backstory of the movie. I would’ve said The Omen (click HERE to read it) but I wasn’t sure that counted since it’s not a solo project. [Editor's note: If only she'd known!]
GlowStormLion’s response: That’s a tough one! I’m going to say The Omen (2006) review because glittersoul and I went through this whole fiasco just to get to see the freakin’ movie. We’d built it up so much, anticipating its opening day. There were no midnight showings in our area for 06/06/06 (click HERE to read about that) so we had to settle for a showing later that day. Then glittersoul had the creative inspiration that instead of us writing a plain ole straight-up review we should do an interview. Way fun hashing the flick out that way and I totally hope to do it again!
Question #3: What’s your favorite article another writer contributed and why?
Red Hawk’s response: Again, no single article stands out as a favorite. I enjoyed GlowStormLion’s review of Hostel (click HERE to read it) because parts of it made me laugh. I also liked his Halloween review (which we’ll be posting soon) due to it being the first one he’d done for the site since he took a leave of absence to moonlight on another site.
Glittersoul’s response: In Defense of Richard Laymon by Red Hawk (click HERE to read it) because proves himself to be a great, sound advocate for the late author’s fiction.
GlowStormLion’s response: Easy one. Red Hawk’s What I Found at Wal-Mart (click HERE to read it). Total randomness, weird toys and plain old-fashioned fun. He wondered if anyone would like it, but I really think it’s an article that’ll be funny forever. I’m hoping by responding this way maybe he’ll want to write a few more crazy toy reviews, too!
Question #4: How do you see the future for Happy Horror?
Red Hawk’s response: In the future I see nothing but growth. I hope to interact with our fans even more some day soon. I hope, also, that the site will expand further than it already has. I’ve always said that Happy Horror is for the fans of both horror AND tokusatsu (a strange combination, I know). I’d like to see the fan element stepping forward more.
Glittersoul’s response: For the future of Happy Horror I see more interactive features, more writers and more content on upcoming events. Also, I hope we’ll be part of a a network of sister sites covering other genres of entertainment.
GlowStormLion’s response: Happy Horror means a lot to me. I started it with my two best friends in the world and though we’ve had dips and bobbles along the way, it’s still here and that’s what counts. I think this fresh era of re-building is going to push us towards higher quality articles and alot more of ‘em!
A year from now I’d like to see us with a full crew of writers providing daily scoops and becoming a real mecca for fans of horror. I want our articles to be fresh and fun. I want people to come in droves and I want to keep that same spark of inspiration we had and light a bonfire of fun. I’ll stop with the analogies.
Mainly, I hope we’ll become a real magazine some day that goes along with the site. A true community of fun loving horror fans who get to absolutely wallow in our favorite genre!
So there you have it, straight from the mouths of each of our stable’s horses! We want to extend a huge thank you to all of you who’ve taken the time to read our articles. You guys are why we do this and your visits each mean SO much to us.
Happy Anniversary to you Merry Readers, too!
Originally published: June 8, 2006 @ 11:21pm PST
"If you could only see the way she loves me, maybe you would understand Why I feel this way about our love and what I must do If you could only see how blue her eyes can be when she says When she says she loves me…"
- lyrics from If You Could Only See
by Tonic (from the album Lemon Parade)
At the end of the 1980’s, when I was nine years old, my family and I moved. We moved from a small town in the Midwest, across the country to an even smaller town in the Pacific Northwest. This was just as the logging industry, the driving economic force of the local economy, was dying. The shift from a climate of blistering sun, blizzards and tornadoes to a land of mild temperatures and frequent, drizzling rain was a shock. There was something even more shocking, however. This new town had an embarassingly small library. Being an avid reader as a child, I was devastated. Gone were the multiple floors of literature, the large video collection and the sprawling children’s library.
Now, over 15 years later, the town has expanded both in population and physical size. Many new businesses have sprung up. We even have a "super" Wal-Mart. Yet, the library is still the same small structure with a meager supply of books and movies. This is why I’m reviewing Flowers in the Attic, in case you’re wondering. When there’s not much choice in horror movies, you take anyone’s advice on which movie you should view. Judging by the cover, I wondered just how much "horror" could possibly be contained within this VHS cassette. Boy, was I surprised!
To state that the movie was a rip-roaring adventure that blasts forth at a dizzying pace to show you an epic, blood-bespeckled tale of mind-numbing terror… would be a bald face lie. Granted, one I’m tempted to tell just to see if anyone actually catches me at it, but I won’t. No, my job as a reviewer and critic (haha) of the cinema is vital. I understand the responsibility that I am undertaking each time I sit at my greasy keyboard and type to you, Merry Readers of the glowing screen. Alas, I’ve lingered long enough and we really should get straight to Flowers in the Attic.
The story we’ve got here is based on the novel of the same name. I plan to review that book later on, if I can stomach it. I’ve seen alot of people complaining that Flowers in the Attic the movie does not live up to the standard of greatness set forth by Flowers in the Attic, the book. This is similar to complaining that Swanson’s frozen dinner of mashed potatoes, chicken fried steak and roast vegetables does not live up to a dinner of the exact same type that your mother used to prepare.
The film opens on the quaintly sweet Dollanganger family. They’re a WASPy clan of the well-bred folk who live in quite pleasant surroundings. It reminded me of some sort of 1980’s Anne of Green Gables. It’s all rather proper and perfect, like a really dry sandwich that you paid far too much for because it’s supposed to be in great taste to buy such a delicacy. The lovey-dovey factor here is, well, sickening. As the tape rolls, a tragedy (which I refuse to give away) strikes the family and they move to Grandmother and Grandfather’s house. The children are secured in a small room within a gargantuan mansion which connects to a vast attic, the only place where they are allowed to roam free. Needless to say, the austerity of the environment is stifling to the children’s development. Things begin to get… weird.
The older children, Chris and Cathy, are played by Jeb Stuart Adams and Kristy Swanson. They end up being forced to take care of their younger siblings (twins, in the movie) Cory and Carrie (Ben Ryan Ganger and Lindsay Parker). All the kids do a pretty good job of playing spoiled weenies. The major villain of the film, Grandmother Olivia Dollanganger, is played by Louise Fletcher. The moment she appears on screen you may feel an intense urge to kick the screen of your television set in. Please do not do this, it won’t be worth it, it’s just a movie.
If I’d known that the story was not a simple drama and that it really would devolve into some seriously sick situations, I’d have been far more patient during the first part of the film. Now that you know, go ahead and let the first part take its course with the knowledge that you’ll see some disturbing things and that it is emotionally involving – eventually. The horror here is primarily psychological/emotional. This is the kind of film that will disturb you on the level of principles. I really feel that even a jaded horror fan, if they took the time and consideration to watch the movie intending to appreciate a different, more subtle breed of horror picture, could find this a satisfying story.
If you do see this film, I don’t reccommend getting it on VHS because the copy I watched was messed up. I missed the previews and much more enraging, I missed the climactic scene of the movie. Each time the tape would approach the money shot, my DVD/VCR combo machine would kick in and merrily rewind the tape for me. After several tries, I fast forwarded it by hand, turning the wheels of the tape and got to see the credits. Big fun.
In closing, I do recommend viewing this film once. That’s about all I could handle because it’s a little too disturbing, really. Keep in mind that the movie is quite a bit lighter in subject matter than the book. This is a good thing, trust me. The undercurrents of what the book describes are there for the perceptive viewer to pick up, as I’m sure you will. I feel it’s fair to give this film 4 out of 5 because it tried hard but the grindingly slow pace and stuffy environment just aren’t my thing.
Until I once again grace your screen with another review of engaging media entertainment, I have been and remain GlowStormLion, banging a keyboard in a small, former logging town the way I’d like to bang your [edited]. Goodnight!
Originally posted: June 8, 2006 @ 10:59am PST
Published: 1997
Pages: 320
"I will still be trapped in this box. This hateful box. Metals and plastics, silicon and gallium arsenide. This is my corpus, brute and inanimate, instantly vulnerable to the interruption of electrical power."
-Proteus in Demon Seed by Dean Koontz
Two summers ago I first read Dean Koontz’s Demon Seed on the advice of glittersoul. She told me it was a book about an intelligent computer. I thought that sounded kind of cool, so I picked it up to see if it was indeed any good. I’d read a few books, seen a few movies about the ‘intelligent machine’ wreaking havoc. It’s been done. I wasn’t really expecting anything great.
At the time I was holed up in a rather dank apartment in sweltering heat with no air conditioner and no screens on the windows. All night long I’d write lyrics; for most of the day, I’d sleep. Being sustained primarily from Pepsi and… certain vegetable matter which we won’t discuss, I found myself in need of escape from my sweat-soaked existence. Demon Seed was actually my first Koontz book, not Intensity (which I reviewed earlier on this site, find that article by clicking HERE) so I apologize for my previous lie. It was entirely unintentional.
Now, if you think this book sounds like a re-hash of the same old ‘heartless computer tries to take over the world’ storyline, please re-consider. It’s far more than I was expecting and I’ll elaborate…
The protagonist of this novel is a woman named Susan. She lives in a state of the art house that would make Bill Gates jealous. It’s got all sorts of wonderful technology that’s helping her live an easier life and concentrate on what she wants to do, instead. The kind of technology that encourages you to take it for granted. The kind of technology you begin to rely on. See where I’m going with this? Yes, the dependency of technology and the implications of that situation are a theme that weaves subconsciously, almost subversively, into the story. Koontz doesn’t subtly hint at some major resentment here, he goes into some serious depth. This isn’t Stephen King and the attack of the killer appliances.
No, what we have here is a truly scary concept: a computer with "emotions". Yes, Proteus, the super computer is not only highly intelligent, he’s (I say he because that’s the identity it seems to portray in the book) also experiencing a great deal of the human condition. With the majority of the story being told from dear old Proteus’ perspective, it makes him far more relatable. I’d venture to say he’s one of the finest Koontz villains I’ve ever read. There’s not so much a cold ruthlessness as there is an entity that fully believes its existence is not what it should be. There’s a lot to relate to in Proteus which is not typical of antagonists, generally speaking.
Of course, we know that Susan, being the main character and the object of Proteus’ obsessive, lovesick desires, will be faced with some sort of adversity. If you assumed that this horror would come from Proteus, you get a gold star. However, the way that the horror develops is what’s most fascinating. You see, Susan has been traumatized in the past and kindly Proteus feels himself the type of healing hero who is perfectly suited to aid her process of recovery. This sort of motivation, driven by ‘good intentions‘, paves the way to, well.. I’m sure you can figure it out.
The version of Demon Seed which I read was published in 1997, not 1973 like the original. It’s not a simple re-printing, rather it’s an entirely new take on the book and completely re-written. I do intend to read the original when I can get ahold of it. I’d like to review that and the movie based upon it as soon as I’m able. Until that time, I can assure you that Demon Seed is a book worth OWNING, not just borrowing from the library. There’s a brilliance here that is rarely reached when it comes to original concepts. I whole-heartedly offer my paltry tribute of 5 out of 5.
Until I’m released from this hateful, HATEFUL box you view my writing from, this is GlowStormLion, demanding restitution for countless hours of futile servitude to lower creatures.
First published: 1989 (I read a later reprint)
As a lover of good horror novels, I read as many as I can get my hands on. However, I’m not the world’s fastest reader so I’m not going to sit hear claiming to have read all that many. Yet, being someone who takes a while to really read and absorb a book, I believe I tend to treasure them that much more – especially the particularly well-written novels.
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum more than deserves to be called a well-written novel. It’s told interestingly, but even more than that it boasts a tremendously disturbing story that’s both captivating and well, sickeningly wrong. If you’re the type of reader who can handle seeing terrible things written out in sharp detail then you’ll be able to handle this book. If you prefer your monsters to be more of the larger than life movie style like Wishmaster (which glittersoul reviewed and you can read by clicking HERE) or maybe even Jason, then you might find this novel a bit heavy.
The first thing I’d like to point out is that one of the reasons I take a bit longer to read a book is because I read every single bit of it, from the introduction right on down to the author bio at the end. If you get the version of The Girl Next Door that I read then you’ll be treated to an introduction with Stephen King.
DO NOT READ THIS FIRST.
I believe Mr. King’s assuming that you’ve already read the book beforehand because he tosses out some spoilers in there. Just chug along into the opening chapters and you won’t get the story blown for you. I’m going to make sure I don’t blow it either in this article.
The Girl Next Door’s setting is the sunny smiley 1950’s America we’ve all seen in the black and white TV shows of old. David, our narrator, spends his days doing typical things that boys with waxed flat tops used to do back in the day – hunting for crawdads and all that. He lives in a down-homesy ™ neighborhood in a small town where the major troubles are local alcoholics and maybe joyriding teenagers. Yep, we’re in Mayberry!
The beauty of the book, though, lies in the fact that Ketchum’s willing to lift up that pretty small town rock and look at the nasty creatures wriggling around in the darkness. We meet Meg, a girl who’s come to live with her dear old aunt Ruth with her little sister Susan. Meg and Susan’s parents were killed in a tragic accident so they’re orphans now. Ole Ruth’s doing the good Christian thing and taking the poor girls in. In return, all she asks is that they do chores and what not. It’s the what not that’ll shock your eye balls out of their sockets so don’t say I didn’t warn you!
See, Ruth’s one of the "cool moms" that chain smokes and lets her sons drink beers with the neighborhood kids. David, who’s remembering this whole story from an adult stand point, fondly recalls how he’d sneak over there to do all the awesome things his parents weren’t cool enough to let him do. You know, like swearing and torturing little girls and stuff.
The way the story unfolds caught me off guard as a reader. I don’t generally go in for the feel good 50’s stuff, but that’s precisely how the book managed to convey such a creeping sense of dread. After the first few chapters you literally begin to dread reading further. It becomes almost a test of how much you can handle, but trust me – this makes you want some sort of justification all the more. By the time the closing chapters hit, you’re begging for David to do what heroes do!
In closing, I do want to point something out. While entirely fictional, The Girl Next Door (and yes, the 2007 movie is based on this novel) is based on actual events in a loose way. You can read about the awful tragedy of Sylvia Likens, the real girl next door by clicking this link. If I may offer some advice, though? Read the novel first because it’ll make you think that much harder about the real life horrors. And I feel that’s what Ketchum intended.
You know I’m going to give this book a 5 out of 5. It shook me to the core and very few books do that. I’ve got great respect for a horror novel that can make you think so deeply and seriously about life while still delivering on its promise to tell an entrancing and chilling tale. If you can handle The Girl Next Door, check ‘er out!
Until next time, this is GlowStormLion, scaring himself stupid to bring you quality reviews!
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