The Girl Next Door is a 2014 novel by British crime author Ruth Rendell.[1][2][3] It was the last of her novels published in her lifetime.[4]
 First edition (publ. Hutchinson) | |
| Author | Ruth Rendell |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Scribner |
Publication date | 4 November 2014 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4767-8432-8 |
Plot
editDuring 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.[5] The novel deals frankly with changes and interrelationships of the characters and social changes generally, over seven decades.
Critical reception
editIn 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.[6]
In Marilyn Stasio's review for The New York Times, the novel's effective use of a split time frame was noted.[7]
References
edit- ^ "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.