Deborah Woehr

I read the book when it came out sometime in the mid to late ’90s. It was a deeply disturbing portrait of severe child abuse, inflicted on a 13 year-old. Ketchum did an awesome job of portraying the psychologies of the victim and the abuse, as well as the nightmarish descriptions of the incidents as they escalated. The Girl Next Door not only hit home, but left a lasting impression on me. Ketchum is a great writer who knows how to make readers squirm. But I’m surprised that this book didn’t get banned because it was so controversial.

Yesterday, I found the movie in my local Best Buy. I found myself both surprised and curious to know if this was an adaptation of the book. It was. I set the DVD back on the shelf without a second thought or regret. I’d read the book. That was enough.

Curiosity sent me to Amazon, however, to see what viewers had to say about the film. As it turns out, my instinct was correct. The movie is just as disturbing as the book. This is one instance where I’ll pass.