Customer Reviews

Only Child

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
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My first encounter with Jack Ketchum's work was reading his novel 'Red'. A somewhat slim book, I finished reading it in one day. You know if a book is going to be worthwhile usually after the first couple of chapters, and the time spent reading 'Red' was thoroughly worthwhile. It still remains one of the best pieces of fiction I have encountered, which brings me to ...

... 'Only Child'.

Like 'Red', this novel is fairly slim. But that is as it should be. There is no room for wasted words in Jack's writing. He gets to the point quickly and effectively, inviting his readers into a nightmare journey - a mixture of fiction and reality. It is exactly this juxtaposition of taboo realism and carefully crafted fictional characters that lends Jack's writing its uniqueness. He deals with the cruelty and evil inherent in society, bringing such issues to the surface, almost as if he is attempting to release his anger by way of writing.

Violence in 'Only Child' is extreme and, at times, graphically depicted. In this way, the novel can be likened to Richard Laymon's work. But there is nothing supernatural about this book. Jack's horror is about the experiences some people suffer everyday of their lives - people who want to escape from their tormentors but are too terrified to take a stand, because of the consequences should they fail. Lydia McCloud, however, does make a stand.

Married to the fraudulently good-natured Arthur Danse, Lydia soon discovers his dark side. For Danse does not adhere to the rules of society. Undoubtedly disturbed, Danse believes he is here for a reason ... to ensure that he teaches humankind that both fear and pain are necessary, and that he has been chosen to inflict such pain on anyone who refuses his demands. His disturbing behaviour is not limited to the unfortunate people he encounters outside his family - rather it is Lydia and his young son, Robert, who are most at risk.

Jack Ketchum has created two strikingly different characters here. Lydia is imbued with inner strength, a giving nature, and an understanding of what really counts in life. Arthur Danse is cruel, calculating, and possesses a relentless determination to both control and hurt people.

The message behind this book is that good can triumph over evil if the victim is able summon enough courage to face their tormentor. 'Only Child' takes a realistic and accurate view of domestic violence and child abuse. It explores the psychological aspects of such abuse from the viewpoint of both antagonist (Danse) and protagonists (Lydia, Robert, and anyone else who, along the way, dares to question Arthur Danse).

I once knew a mother and daughter who were subjected to physical and psychological violence and abuse within a domestic environment, and can therefore relate to this story.

'Only Child' should be remebered alongside Thomas Harris's 'Silence of the Lambs' as one of the best psychological thrillers of violence ever written. Jack's writing is both dark and powerful; his subject matter disturbing yet insightful. Certainly unforgettable.

Along with 'Only Child', I reccomend you try other works by Jack Ketchum, especially 'Red', 'Road Kill' (a.k.a 'Joyride'), 'Offspring', 'Off Season', 'The Girl Next Door', and the phenomenal 'A Right to Life'.

I'd like to deduct a star from this rating...but it wouldn't be fair. Based upon the novel Ketchum meant to write -- based upon a true story, it turns out -- it's hard to criticize a word here. Ketchum is a good writer, and, I believe, wrote exactly the book he intended to. It's a solid, effective thriller.

My only hesitation lies in the expectations I brought to the book. I haven't read a lot of Ketchum's work, and was excited to leap into this one. I expected a horrific ride, based upon Ketchum's hard core reputation. And it WAS horrific, but also somewhat restrained, probably owing to Ketchum's desire to be faithful to his source incidents. Fully half of the novel takes place in a court room -- intense matters are being considered, but the incidents themselves are, for the most part, off-camera. I admire Ketchum's restraint, but it didn't completely jibe with the "pull no punches" reputation I'd heard about.

Also -- with a couple chapters to go, I saw a twist ending coming, and it was a doozy. I was already getting impressed by Ketchum's clever manipulations. The only trouble is -- it never happened. The real ending was pretty straightforward, again probably owing to the "real world" incidents he was documenting. Again, not fair to deduct points for that, but moderately disappointing as a reader.

Anyway, the book Ketchum actually did write -- it's a first rate thriller, and I would recommend it to any fan of the genre.

I'll keep this short. I've read all of Ketchum's novels. This is, hands down, his best. I'm confused as to why, as movies have been pitched and produced, this one hasn't been considered. I also feel this one deserves a sequel. The previous reviews have said it all, so I don't want to be redundant.

This is, without a doubt, Jack Ketchum's best book so far. It grabs hold in the beginning and takes the reader on a terrifying ride. There really isn't any more to add to the previous reviewers comments since they've perfectly described it