Im not sure where it sits, Ward admits with a laugh during a lengthy conversation with Den of Geek. The only reason I can write this stuff is because Im afraid of it. Books received from a third party sponsor have no impact on the honesty of my reviews. The Last House on Needless Street moves away from the historical to the contemporary gothic, but deserves just as much praise and attention. I can see how people enjoyed the writing. All these things are true. We then find out that Lauren is another alter of Teds, created when he was just a child, and that he gave all the pain of his mothers abuse to Lauren so that he didnt have to endure it. Dee, the girls sister, has never stopped thinking about Lulu. No idea about . In the most basic sense, The Last House on Needless Street follows the story of Ted, a lonely man who lives in a boarded up house (on Needless Street, naturally) with his 12 year old daughter . I didnt find it horrifying or terrifying, though it is thrilling to read. It would be a bad book if I wasn't afraid of it, says author Cat Ward about The Last House on Needless Street, this season's must-read horror novel. I never heard from her again although I do think of her every once in a while. This is a story the reader . But his love is for his cat, Olivia. Ive been looking for a good opportunity to get to read this book, and the Ladies of Horror Fiction Readalong seemed like the perfect reason to jump The Last House on Needless Street on the top of my TBR. Otherwise, feel free to skip this part and maybe grab a copy for yourself if youd like to make your own judgment! 1,051 reviews 2,628 followers. I just loved the ride. Just in time for October's spooky reading season. Again, I dont even know if this book is horror, Ward admits ruefully. It was extremely obvious as well. Everything was obvious to me from the get-go. Suspending belief and use of tropey twists is par for the course for horror/thriller books but this book seemed intent on piling them all into one. And while Im in the minority who didnt fall in love with Wards prose, story, or characters, I can see why others did. Ward uses unreliable narrators extremely well. It was obvious the cat was an alt personality. This is the story of a murderer. Snakes were her one true fear because they slithered out from under Lulus body when she found it. (Probably major spoilers) Just curious if there's any books, fantastical or realistic, dark and twisted or more "regular" novels containing a villainous psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist? Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House. The Last House On Needless Street is the latest work from award-winning horror author, Catriona Ward. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Twice in the same day. This absolutely horrifies me because what kind of world do we live in where someone can walk up to a woman in a group of friends, introduce himself by his name, and take her away and kill her in broad daylight? she continues. 13.9 miles away from Hero Towing. She hasn`t repressed the memories, the guilt of what happened and the fact that she kept it all to herself drives her to find who took her. 431. Wayward Magazine features veteran entertainment journalism staff covering new releases in horror and horror-adjacent fiction (mostly books). What's worse, she adds the further cliche of repressed memories/unreliable narrator to the protagonist in order to further obfuscate the narrative. In the most basic sense, The Last House on Needless Street follows the story of Ted, a lonely man who lives in a boarded up house (on Needless Street, naturally) with his 12 year old daughter, Lauren, and his cat, Olivia. Learn how your comment data is processed. After reading some of the other reviews, I can tell I am in the minority here and that is ok. Tanya H. said "I don't know why they've got so many bad reviews but our experience was great! "Now, back to the car. My belly is a rubber sack. He's unemployed, drinks a lot, and suffers from a few undiagnosed mental health problems. Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. As for Dee, while I didnt have any feelings for her, Im not 100% sure she deserved to die as she did. Book Description: Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.. So therefore, I wont go into specifics on the book, just my thoughts on it overall. . So, just a heads up. 3 of which have their POV chapters: Ted, Olivia, and Dee. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those books that is difficult to describe without giving away spoilers. You dont get to know everything about everyone. Children have been going missing at a nearby lake for some time and a woman named Dee, whose sister disappeared there some years prior, has convinced herself that Ted had something to do with it. But that plotlines closure felt a bitforced? 'The Last House on Needless Street' (Viper Books, Tor Nightfire) was a Times Book of the Month, Observer Book of the Month, March Editor's Pick on Open Book, a Between the Covers BBC2 book club selection, a Times bestseller, and is being developed for film by Andy Serkis's production company, The Imaginarium. When she turned into her street, she looked at the house that she had earned. We HAVE to talk about this book!!! Looking back from the end of the book, Im amazed at how well-executed this story was. Topics. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. You made it to the end, which is further than I did. The cat is a litmus test, isnt it? Ward laughs. I couldnt put it down. (LogOut/ I was concerned when I realized this wasn't pure thriller from the get-go. Ted Bannerman lives alone with his cat Olivia in a dilapidated, boarded up house at the end of a cul-de-sac. . Fury of the Gods Brings Back the "Shazamily": Inside DC's New Superhero Adventure, Scream 6's Brutal NYC Trip: "You Can't Trust Anyone" This Time, Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer "Coked-Up" Bear, It's Also an "Underdog Story", How Marvel's Wastelanders Podcast Created an Exciting Story with No Visual Safety Net, The Secrets That Lurk in The Last House on Needless Street. It gives hope that people with this disorder can find their path in life even if its not an easy one. But of course, nothing as it seems and as the truths come to the surface, we are forced to face our prejudices and first impressions. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. (LogOut/ And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. The Last House on Needless Street publishes September 28, 2021 from Tor . However, it gave me plenty of things to think about, and one thing I cant take away from Ward: she clearly put a lot of research into the main mental health problem featured in this book, and handled her characters with care. Regardless if you . Some say the concept has been done to death, but you could argue the same thing about everything ever created (movies, tv shows, books, whatever). What kind of parent says they dont love their child? So, just a heads up. Copyright 2020 by Bookends. Couldn't handle the lukewarm purple prose and near total absence of suspense. PAGES: 352pg. The problem, for me, was that I wasnt invested in the characters and didnt really feel what I should have been feeling and that bothers me. This was a book about DID. There are some deliberate reverberations that I set up with Ted in the beginning, Ward explains.Hes called Ted, and he lives in Washington state, near a lake where there had been a disappearance. It would be a bad book if I wasnt afraid of it, she says, explaining that theres actually an important emotional element involved in telling and reading stories about our fears, of both the real and the fictional variety. I thought this book was so cleverly written, with the hints towards DID masquerading as hints that Lauren was Lulu. I guessed the twist very early on so kind of disappointed in that respect. He doesnt have friends and he cant quite get free of his mothers influence over him even though shes been long gone. The pretension practically rolls off the page in that one. Cookie Notice (LogOut/ There were times I was thinking about DNFing, but my curiosity got the better of me, and me see it through the end which I have no regrets about. First we find out that Olivia is one of Laurens alters, created to hide from the pain that Ted was causing her. As for Dee, while I didnt have any feelings for her, Im not 100% sure she deserved to die as she did. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. I miss my friend, but I dont really have any means to reach her and even if I would, I have no idea if the person I call a friend is still around. Scan this QR code to download the app now. THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET is psychological horror of the highest order, disguised as a Russian doll of a novel, with layer within layer holding new characters and secrets. If you dont, you may not., Especially since The Last House on Needless Street isnt the sort of horror story (or even quasi-horror story) that relies on gore or jump scares to terrify its readers. Once I figure that out, I started to get uncomfortable and grew uneasy. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. I gave a single nod. But I don't need a mirror to know how I look. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on . Ok But on Saturday (the day we". And for that, it definitely deserves the praise. Recent threadmarks Harry Leferts Omake: Harry gives Regina a hand ijnfleetadmiral Omake: Lucius' reacts to Draco's girlfriends still_guns Omake: Ellswood P1. Sure, she had a responsibility in the fate of her sister dragging her along, then leaving her alone to play by the river, then running away once she thought she was dead and the snakes were coming but Im not convinced she was a bad person up to that point or that she deserved punishment. Deftly written, intricate, absorbing, The Last House on Needless Street draws the reader into its web. The Last House on the Street: Directed by Adam Berardi. I read some reviews after I finished the book that spoiled the main twist, so beware! The mothers coldness should have been a big red flag. Thriller/psychological twisty turner, I couldn't put it down and read it in two days straight. The Last House on Needless Street is another critical darling that employs what is arguably the most tired trope in horror, all while telling a pseudo-empathetic story that portrays a demonized community as. Or watch movies for that matter. Suffice to say, horror is not a genre Im overly familiar with which can be one of the reasons I failed to love this book. In the present-day Ted Bannerman lives on Needless Street in a house where all windows are bordered up with planks while the gardens are filled with various treats for the birds . I laid her gently on a patch of moss at the foot of the tree. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. September 29, 2021. In her delirium, we find out that her memory about that day at the beach had been unreliable. Teds alters integrate, he gets therapy from a real therapist, and starts to become a part of society again. SHOW SPOILERS While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. A division of The Kreisau Circle LLC. Couple of things you got wrong. You think youve read this story before. Dee saw her dead body, but the police/adults never found it. Fuck this book and every author who blurbed it. The ending is propulsive and shocking and definitely had me re-running prior scenes in my head to assist with putting the pieces together. However, I seem to have completely lost grip on the story when it comes to the Chihuahua woman. Overall, not a win for me. You think you've read this story before. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Honestly I don't get angry about figuring out what's going on in a story because to me that means the writing is good and has enough clues that someone who's paying attention could reasonably figure it out. But it is home for three: Ted, the town drunk; Dee, a teenage waif; and Olivia, a precocious cat. Book spoilers to jog your memory. When she ran back her sister had been taken by someone. And yet they are all lies You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. All rights reserved. The house is a prison and a sanctuary, a reliquary of agony and torment. Sometimes you just want to say read it, and then talk to me about it, and leave your review at that. I cant believe this is all one narrator! Instead, its darkness is primarily rooted in more mental frights: Unreliable narrators, oppressively narrow points of view, and an almost unbearable tension lace through even the most basic scenes. Just finished this after being recommended it by my SIL. No longer must I search my heart for a love that I cannot feel." Its an echo [in this story] because its such a landmark in my landscape of fear.. Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2021. Having read the award winning Catriona Ward's incredible debut, Rawblood, it is not surprising that her latest novel, an atmospheric gothic horror, the darkest of fairytales, is one of the books of 2021. In fact, it wasnt even scary. But that was one twist I didnt quite see coming the mother being the psychopath, I mean. We know you all have many questions for Catriona Ward, author of The Last House On Needless Street. I had figured out what was happening and what had happened about half way through the story but this didnt spoil the story, in fact it made me somewhat more invested as I raced to see how it would all manifest. But still I rise , My Rebel Highlander by Vonda Sinclair~Review~. And Olivia is Ted's cat, with a mind all her own. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. He nails the different voices so well, that you feel compelled to go and make sure that its really only one person narrating. A space to share book reviews and other book related treats. I felt that this book could have gone in a different direction or at least have the ending executed in a different way. and our The Last House on Needless Street: The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Revenge. Ted was a person of interest in the disappearance and now she is determined to find her sister or find the person responsible. However, upon finishing the book, I appreciate how the author didnt make Ted the villain of the story after all even if it seemed like it for a long time and that she showed how Teds life was improved with the right medication, professional help, and genuine friendship maybe even love. Book: "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward. A spoiler free 1st half of the thrilling, chilling and heart pounding "Last House on Needless Street" Ted lives on Needless Street. Its pretty heartbreaking. GENRE: Thriller. But this is one of those books that you have to trust and take the plunge so you can ride a hell of a ride. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Ted lives in the last house on Needless Street. I wanted a horror story. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. An unspeakable secret binds them . The Last House on the Street touches upon several national current events in each timeline, for example: LBJ passing the Voting Rights Act in the 1965 timeline and the presidency of Barack Obama in 2010. Really good summing up of the book's flaws here: https://medium.com/wayward-magazine/im-so-mad-about-the-last-house-on-needless-street-57a2f9b16f88. It was different and kept me interested and may I even say, Im slightly SHOOK. Privacy Policy. The reader has to hunt them out, reflect on what theyve already read to find out where the story is going to take us. That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. I really liked Little Eve. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. His daughter Lauren comes to visit from time to time, but they never go out when she does, and their relationship is always tense and often violent. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward | 9781788166164,Buy new & second-hand (used) books online with Free UK Delivery at AwesomeBooks.com I did not like the last 20-30% at all when the big "reveals" happen. All of this means there is a closed, almost claustrophobic feel so the reader feels as closed up as Teds house with its boarded windows and triple lock. As for the story itself, in The Last House on Needless Street is nothing as it seems. To play [not just ] with the expectations of horror but also with the snap conclusions people might come to about certain kinds of behavior or mental health conditions [or socio-economic indicators].. In a place that echoes with lost boys, 11 years ago, the haunted Dee lost her little 6 year old sister, Lulu, the Popsicle Girl, disappearing, never to be seen again. Please, just read it. A teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after last time. As the review details, the "multiple personality"/"it was all in their head" reveal is a tired trope by now and a cop-out substitute for good story telling and plot development. Absolutely hated it and it was fucking confusing to follow. Thanks! How did that book end? Stephen King called Sundial Authentically terrifying. This all seems rather straightforward, aside from maybe getting the perspective of Olivia the . Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. An Own Voices review of The Last House on Needless Street can be found on the channel The Chaotic Little Book Corner htt. The reader plays detective the whole time trying to piece together what is reliable and what is not, Ward says. Gabino Iglesias is an author, book reviewer and professor living in Austin, Texas. Each character has their own distinctive voice, each one giving a slightly different viewpoint of the story. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Dee is driven by her obsession and seems to be somewhat in control, but then that image crumbles; she's afraid of going to sleep because the "red birds will come flying into her head." She is determined to figure out what happened and is ready to lay the blame on Ted. Catriona Ward manages to carry out this balance with aplomb. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. But I'll talk about this a bit more in depth in the spoilers section after the review itself. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Required fields are marked *. Outside of Ted's house, we are told of a girl who disappeared maybe a decade prior to the start of the novel, and how her sister Dee obsessively is trying to find the sister she called Lulu. Claire Douglas | The Girls Who Disappeared, Amy Lea | Exes and Os (The Influencer #2), Trish Doller | Off The Map (Beck Sisters #3). All I know is that Stephen King had an endorsement quote on the cover, it was a horror book, and may or may not contain a serial killer story. Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse. Margaret M - Hiatus - I will respond when I can. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. shammon5 1 yr. ago. This is the best book I have read in recent years. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on, but when you're standing on shaky ground and the narrative keeps throwing curveballs your way, believing you know what's happening is almost impossible. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The New York TimesCatriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time.A man who . An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come back to haunt them all. Okay, Im making quick connection: not only to add to your list, please read it! She wasn't out of the car before an exhilarated voice said two words she had learned that Chifuyu would think were her most beloved words . I had previously recommended Catriona Ward`d first two novels on this sub. Once I figure that out, I started to get uncomfortable and grew uneasy. Ms Hayter told of her mother's 'senseless and needless death lying in the road without those who loved her'. I no longer need to think of you as my son. As I mentioned in my review, I suspected from the first chapter that multiple personality issues will come into play in some way, including Lauren and Olivia. Dee is left petrified of snakes, thinking she knows who took her sister, she fixates on Ted Bannerman, even though there was CCTV showing he was in a store, with scores of witnesses at the time, proving he had nothing to do with the taking of Lulu. This is the story of a serial killer. So, when I read about Teds story, the abuse he went through at the hands of his mom, I just couldnt help thinking what might have happened to cause DID and create the person I called a friend. I have a little request for those of you whove already read this. The mothers coldness should have been a big red flag. Almost time to get my garden going. Death. Seeking redemption and revenge is one thing, but inflicting self-judgment on innocent people is a whole another one. Ted is an odd sort of a fellow. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, 9781788166188, available at Book Depository with free delivery . 'I miss her terribly and after a year-and-a-half on my own felt the need to sell our house of 34 years and relocated to a retirement village near Romsey (in Hampshire),' he said. The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. "You are an honest child. Regardless if you liked the book or not. Both novels are critical darlings & both are horror-adjacent . Change). Her desperation drove her to the edge of sanity, and I guess thats what she paid for in the end. Its safe to say that she has achieved that goal. Im not sure I make any sense, so lets move on. Little Evewon the Shirley Jackson Award, was aGuardianbest book of 2018 and won the Best Horror Novel at the 2019 British Fantasy Awards. So we could provide even more entertainment for you! The book was well written and certainly had its moments but the ending was extremely disappointing. I enjoyed the switching POVs initially, as I was just trying to piece things together, before anything had been confirmed. I later exchanged emails with one of her other personalities which was an emotional roller coaster in and on itself learning that the person I knew wasnt in a good shape and it might never surface again. Thank you! Dee didn`t kill her own sister, it was accidental and she panicked and ran off only to realize she wasn`t dead. Thats where youre wrong.In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. Called last Monday to make an appointment for an oil change for 2 cars, were told the cars should be ready in 1,5 hours. Overall, The Last House on Needless Street is a thought-provoking novel, with some chilling elements, placing mental illness into the focus in a different way - which is refreshing - managing to stay with you for a long time. The last twist was that Teds mother was the one who took Lulus body for more of her medical experiments. Ill be marking the place where Ill go into spoiler territory, so youll have a warning if youd rather not read on. Because, although Needless Street has no real factual content in the plot at all, there are echoes of a real-life tragedy built into its bones, the kind that could certainly encourage readers to draw specific conclusions about the things theyre watching unfold. 'The Last House on Needless Street' (Viper Books, Tor Nightfire) was a Times Book of the Month, Observer Book of the Month, March Editor's Pick on Open Book, a Between the Covers BBC2 book club selection, a Times bestseller, and is being developed for film by Andy Serkis's production company, The Imaginarium. I loved being suspicious, piecing it together in my mind, feeling a tad disoriented. I think its unnerving to the reader because fiction is supposed to be more organized than that. Pretty clear, right? (LogOut/ They felt haphazard and cheap. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. To me, that unreliability is incredibly lifelike, but I think its unnerving to people. This is the story of a serial killer. I dont think I still have for that matter, although for all I know, The Last House on Needless Street gives justice to people dealing with this on a daily basis. Ive seen some true crime shows where parents talk about their children who turn out psychopaths and how it was to raise them, but even if they saw the signs and denied it as long as possible, every parent has at least a bit of love for their offspring. Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House. (Company No. Depending on how you view him, he can come across as creepy, sinister or benign. What I got was a distorted story that used mental illness as its major plot point. Bravo and a round of applause to Catriona Ward!!! A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. Could you all raise your hand if the first thought after finishing this book was something like: Conflicted by this one. *** THE THRILLING RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK *** *** THE BBC TWO BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK *** 'I haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl ' - STEPHEN KING 'One of the most extraordinary thrillers of the year' - The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. There is so much going on in this book that its easy to slip up and inadvertently spoil the story for others which makes it especially hard to review. Her fourth novel, the gothic thriller Sundial (2022 - Viper, Tor Nightfire) was Observer Thriller of the Month and a USA Today, CNN and Apple Books selection for best new fiction. In a house that has seen better days lives Ted, his daughter Lauren and Olivia. Anne Coates is a journalist and author of the Hannah Weybridge crime thriller series: Dancers in the Wind, Death's Silent Judgement, Songs of Innocence and Perdition's Child . And yet some of them are lies. Do not miss this book.. Then as the story progressed, I started thinking of DID until it got confirmed that DID indeed got the drivers seat in the story. Don't even open Sundial then. It is pretty obvious that something isnt right in the house right off the bat. The perspectives switch between Ted, the sister of the abducted child, and that of Teds cat. The second time I tried, you came out of my mind'" but the experience is unlike anything else out there, and that makes it a must-read for those who like the kind of labyrinthine narratives that pull the rug out from under you, sending you tumbling into a dark, dark room. Ted`s mother was reponsible for the child disapearances over the years, so no, it wasn`t coincidental. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those books that is difficult to describe without giving away spoilers. Lauren isn't Lauren, and also suffers from severe dissociative identity disorder.