 First edition (publ. Hutchinson) | |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Publication date | 4 November 2014 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4767-8432-8 |
The Girl Next Door is a 2014 novel by British crime author Ruth Rendell. It was the last of her novels published in her lifetime.
Plot
During World War II, a group of children in Loughton, Essex, United Kingdom, which is where Rendell herself grew up, play in tunnels (in reality, the foundations of an uncompleted house) they discovered under a hill. In the present day they are reunited after the discovery of two hands in a tin box when the tunnels are dug up for construction work. The novel deals frankly with changes and interrelationships of the characters and social changes generally, over seven decades.
Critical reception
In a review in The Observer, it was noted that instead of focusing on the crime, the novel dealt with the lives of the now elderly people in the present.
In Marilyn Stasio's review for The New York Times, the novel's effective use of a split time frame was noted.
References
- "The Girl Next Door". Kirkus Reviews. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- "The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell". Publishers Weekly. 18 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- Zvirin, Stephanie (1 September 2014). "The Girl Next Door". Booklist. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- Jake Kerridge (2 May 2015). "The best of Ruth Rendell: 10 to read, watch and listen to". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- Jane Jakeman (7 August 2014). "The Girl Next Door by Ruth Rendell, book review: Author's latest mystery doesn't shy away from uncomfortable subject matter". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- Hazelton, Claire (14 September 2014). "The Girl Next Door review – Ruth Rendell's acute investigation of old age". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 30 September 2021. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- Stasio, Marilyn (31 October 2014). "Michael Connelly's 'Burning Room,' and More". The New York Times.