Just brilliant. by Catriona Ward. There . The Plot (from Goodreads): Three missing girls. The last house on Needless Street is a boarded-up, run-down shell of its former self. Then as the story progressed, I started thinking of DID until it got confirmed that DID indeed got the drivers seat in the story. Book spoilers aheadif you havent yet read. 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. Please do not copy or reproduce without explicit permission. All these things are true. Please, just read it. Which is disappointing, because I had high expectations going in based on the recommendations of people whose taste I trust in. For more information, please see our The Last House on Needless Street has a small(ish) cast of characters. I opted for the audiobook, and I have to say, Christopher Raglands narration is absolutely top-notch. 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 . AUTHOR: Catriona Ward. - was it as simple as the mum ended up burying LuLu on her property whilst she was away on holiday. 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. And yet they are all lies You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. I think everything I read for the rest of this year will pale in comparison. The mothers coldness should have been a big red flag. The Last House on Needless Street is a very dark, atmospheric and disturbing tale about a boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street whose inhabitants include a man who drinks quite a bit, an angry teenage girl who is a recluse, and a cat that seems to have a religious side. Anyway, not long after my friend confided in me our contact quite abruptly ended. I loved Ward's Rawblood a few years ago but The Last House on Needless Street is such a disappointment, just a cheap series of narrative cheats whose only purpose is to support the oldest and most cliched 'twist' ending in horror fictionwe are seriously supposed to believe that not only does the murder suspect have multiple personalities, but that the dominant one has a name coincidentally . Do Billie and Brad get together: that is the question isn't it? 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? , I hope you enjoy it if you read it. Get help and learn more about the design. A stolen child. Yeah, the mom buried Lulu in the neighbor's yard when the neighbor went on vacation. Her debutRawbloodwon Best Horror Novel at the 2016 British Fantasy Awards, and was a WHSmith Fresh Talent title. Their palpable burning desire for one another has carried fans through two seasons packed with . Seeking redemption and revenge is one thing, but inflicting self-judgment on innocent people is a whole another one. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. I loved Olivia! But then, its a bit of a grey area and it all really depends on your POV how you see her. A twenty-year mystery. The Last of Us 2 Leaked Plot Confirmed by Naughty Dog, Dune: Part Two Should Expand the Role of Zendayas Chani, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition Review, Shazam! Absolutely hated it and it was fucking confusing to follow. The book was well written and certainly had its moments but the ending was extremely disappointing. Its safe to say that she has achieved that goal. When a new neighbor moves in next door, it seems all their secrets will finally come to light. He nails the different voices so well, that you feel compelled to go and make sure that its really only one person narrating. Accepting that things didnt quite make sense but knowing it would come together. 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. 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. But his love is for his cat, Olivia. 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. You just dont, Ward says. How did that book end? (LogOut/ Okay, Im making quick connection: not only to add to your list, please read it! A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. Well, then there's the rest: gods buried in the woods, the mystery of Lauren's sporadic presence and brooding mood, angry green boys living in the attic, and Olivia, a cat who talks, reads, believes in God, wants to have a TV show, and suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Technically, the book was well written and the characters were interesting but the ending was such a cop-out, relying on such an overused trope these daysas the review above notes. Baby snake bites Lulu who falls and hits head against rock. 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. She pushed down her own guilt and focused that guilt on trying to find her sister and the person who eventually took her away from the scene. The Last House on the Street: Directed by Adam Berardi. The clues were definitely therethe bike riding, shopping for the leggings, hints about how Lauren couldnt go outside. Avoid the spoilers, skip the back cover copy, and place yourself directly into Catriona Ward's chilling hands. I can see how people enjoyed the writing. The pretension practically rolls off the page in that one. I think its one people will either love or hate . But when a book has a mildly interesting plot with characters that fail to make you have strong feelings towards them, being occasionally appalled is just not enough. This is the story of a serial killer. 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. Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse. If you're a fan of the dark and mysterious, this book will be for you. Its pretty heartbreaking. 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. I hadn`t read anything about this book prior, just jumped straight in. Death. A space to share book reviews and other book related treats. I feel like I need to re-read this book in order to catch all the clues I missed! It sounds trite but this is story-telling at it's finest. There are all these oppositions in place. When a woman named Dee moves into the abandoned house next door while on a quest to find her sister, who was kidnapped years ago, Ted's life begins to spiral into chaos. Als Hauptverdchtiger galt damals der Einzelgnger Ted - ein eigenartiger Mann, der 165961634207 Ted lives in the last house on Needless Street. I dont know. That's where you're wrong. Lauren isn't Lauren, and also suffers from severe dissociative identity disorder. He drinks but there are other issues as well. I wasnt surprised, in hindsight, but still. Somehow I had this book spoiled for me and I still decided to read it and still didnt figure out the actual twist til the big reveal and enjoyed the ride. We HAVE to talk about this book!!! Almost time to get my garden going. You dont get to know everything about everyone. And [theres] actually a huge quality of empathy [involved] because what youre saying to the reader is, Here are my vulnerabilities. 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 visits occasionally. Those that Ted interacts with are christened with Ted names such as bug man his therapist and Chihuahua lady, one of his neighbours. Privacy Policy. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. It doesn't matter if you're into Stephen King, Octavia Butler, Jack Ketchum or Shirley Jackson, this is the place to share that love and discuss to your heart's content. Ward uses unreliable narrators extremely well. Revenge. Twice in the same day. It sounds trite but this is story-telling at its finest. But thisthis is a whole new level. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. But now that I have finished reading the book, my question isdo people know what a gothic thriller is? Ted is an odd sort of a fellow. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.All these things are true. What Im trying to say here is I have no idea what Im trying to say. It used Dissociative Identity Disorder as a plot point. 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. It gives hope that people with this disorder can find their path in life even if its not an easy one. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Lauren appears in her own narrated chapters later in the book. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://medium.com/wayward-magazine/im-so-mad-about-the-last-house-on-needless-street-57a2f9b16f88. Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! When she ran back her sister had been taken by someone. Inside the triple locked door Ted keeps his cat Olivia and his daughter Lauren safe from the outside world. All rights reserved. '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. Im a sucker for these kinds of stories where the story unravels piece by piece! Ted`s mother was reponsible for the child disapearances over the years, so no, it wasn`t coincidental. Could you all raise your hand if the first thought after finishing this book was something like: Conflicted by this one. 'The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. ZU VERKAUFEN! That was my first encounter with this particular mental disorder so I had no understanding of what it really meant. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. Nighttime is another alter, but I cant remember if he really had much point other than helping to integrate them. I kept reading because of the amazing reviews. 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. The Chihuahua lady and the mom seemed to be close, and the mom told her later on that she would be going out of town as a way to lead false tracks away from her if the police came snooping because of what happened at the hospital . It is only outside the last house on Needless Street that Ted finds occasional respite. This book is the exact reason why I rarely read reviews before picking up a book. Ted Bannerman lives alone with his cat Olivia in a dilapidated, boarded up house at the end of a cul-de-sac. I think its unnerving to the reader because fiction is supposed to be more organized than that. So, just a heads up. Things are slowly getting out of his control when Dee appears in the house next to his, bent on finding her lost sister who went missing some ten years earlier from the lake. "The Last House on Needless Street" has had rave reviews all round and I was a little apprehensive in case it didn't live up the hype but, my god, I didn't need to worry! #whathaveidone #booksfordays #whoops, Herbs have been planted. Thank you, Catriona Ward, NetGalley, and Viper books for the opportunity to read this book. I'm very late to the party but I completely agree (except I never read anything else by the author). By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. . Dee didn`t kill her own sister, it was accidental and she panicked and ran off only to realize she wasn`t dead. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those books that is difficult to describe without giving away spoilers. Ms Hayter told of her mother's 'senseless and needless death lying in the road without those who loved her'. The Last House on Needless Street is more accurately comparable to 2016's surprise hit I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid. 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 think thats something that horror and the darker side of fiction do very naturally anyway. And Ive been thinking a lot. And I think I have whiplash from all the twists! For Ward, part of writing Needless Street necessarily involved processing heartbreaking and often quite upsetting things. I never heard from her again although I do think of her every once in a while. "The Wizard of Oz" (Victor Fleming, 1939) As iconic musicals go, "The Wizard of Oz" nearly takes the cake. 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. Copyright 2020 by Bookends. Its an echo [in this story] because its such a landmark in my landscape of fear.. Her fear of snakes is not based on a false memory, the snakes slithered out from beneath Lulu when Dee tried to move her. When two beautiful college girls move across the street from Derek and Chad, sinister things begin to happen. This story is about Ted, a recluse suspected of a childs abduction. But Ill talk about this a bit more in depth in the spoilers section after the review itself. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. My Godreally? This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, 9781788166188, available at Book Depository with free delivery . The reader plays detective the whole time trying to piece together what is reliable and what is not, Ward says. Stephen King called Sundial Authentically terrifying. Readers are left unbalanced by sequences they dont entirely understand and cant completely trust, armed only with partial and imperfect knowledge., One of my great loves is the Gothic, the fragmented narrative. Dee finds herself focused on Ted as the possible kidnapper. But youre wrong. Bravo and a round of applause to Catriona Ward!!! Her words stung me. 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. This was a book about DID. The book embraces many of the most familiar aspects of the horror genre, but it also counts on its readers to possess a shared understanding of its common tropes and signifiers, and uses those assumptions to subvert many of their preexisting expectations. The writing is complex and not linear so it does keep you on your toes in that sense. What's worse, she adds the further cliche of repressed memories/unreliable narrator to the protagonist in order to further obfuscate the narrative. So therefore, I wont go into specifics on the book, just my thoughts on it overall. Ward's second novel, Little Eve (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2018) won the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award and the August Derleth Prize for Best Horror Novel at the 2019 British Fantasy Awards, making her the only woman to have won the . Fuck this book and every author who blurbed it. I read some reviews after I finished the book that spoiled the main twist, so beware! . Catriona Ward manages to carry out this balance with aplomb. But its not what you think. The reader has to hunt them out, reflect on what theyve already read to find out where the story is going to take us. 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. We see into the depths of their lives through their memories and find the darkest corners of their existence. Revenge. Im not sure how to review it in its entirety without spoilers, so I will keep my thoughts brief on public forums and invite everyone whos read it to my blog post (coming soon) for a spoiler discussion. But that was one twist I didnt quite see coming the mother being the psychopath, I mean. Way back in April (it's almost October!) Thats not to say I wasnt appalled by some of the events because, hell, I was. The Last House on Needless Street has been called a horror novel or a gothic thriller. The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion.
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