The Girl Next Door (Ketchum novel)
ISBN 0-446-34909-7 | | |
Preceded by | She Wakes 1989 in literature | |
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Followed by | Offspring 1991 in literature |
Premise
Two teenage girls are left in the care of their aunt, and they suffer systematic and escalating abuse at the hands of their aunt and her children.
Synopsis
The story takes place in 1950s
Ruth, a single mother and an
Ruth begins verbally abusing Meg. After an incident where Meg hits Ralphie when he touches her breast, Ruth beats Susan for "being in connivance" with Meg. When Meg tries to tell a police officer about the abuse, Ruth locks her in their
David realizes that he must do something before he loses the first girl he has ever loved. Despite his efforts, his plan to rescue Meg is foiled when Meg tries to bring Susan with her and Ruth catches them. As punishment, Ruth allows her son Donny to
Meg dies, and the police arrive to arrest the Chandlers. David sees Ruth wearing Meg's mother's wedding band. Remembering a promise to get it back to Meg, he vengefully pushes Ruth down the stairs, killing her. The officer realizes David did this intentionally, but, knowing how evil Ruth was, the officer claims the fall as nothing more than an act of justifiable homicide to avenge Meg, and David, giving the band to Susan, is pardoned.
As David grows up into a detective, he uncovers the whereabouts of some of the other children who helped to torture Meg. After reading of a brutal crime spree perpetuated by one of the now-grown children of Ruth, David is left to wonder what has become of the children that he was unable to track down.
Film adaptation
A feature film based on Ketchum's novel was released in 2007. Entitled