Gabino Iglesias is an author, book reviewer and professor living in Austin, Texas. *Now available! 431. Part horror story, part mystery thriller, and part tragedy, the book subverts a lot of expectations about what a genre story should be and do, unpacking a complex emotional narrative in the midst of a menacing tale of fear, uncertainty, and constantly escalating dread. At this point, we still think that Lauren is Lulu. 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 . There is something odd going on in the boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street. I loved every moment of it and Im keeping the book so I can read it again from a new perspective later on. Get help and learn more about the design. A teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after last time. Cookie Notice His mother knew what he was at an early age after finding him killing an animal, and her words in that moment never left him: "For a long time, I have feared that this was in you. 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 . Ted was a person of interest in the disappearance and now she is determined to find her sister or find the person responsible. He drinks but there are other issues as well. Because in my opinion, this is not even close to a gothic thriller. Dee finds herself focused on Ted as the possible kidnapper. 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. To be fair, it was probably always going to be difficult to know precisely how to classify a story that heavily features a very religious talking gay cat, and thats before you get to the potential kidnappings and possible serial murder of it all. 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. I laid her gently on a patch of moss at the foot of the tree. Slasher Films Provide The Lens That Frames This Horror Story, This Noir Adventure Shows Silvia Moreno-Garcia Can Do It All, With Style To Spare. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. 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. The house is a prison and a sanctuary, a reliquary of agony and torment. (LogOut/ By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Baby snake bites Lulu who falls and hits head against rock. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Stephen King called Sundial Authentically terrifying. 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. Rarely do I struggle to find words about a book that I loved, but I find myself in that position right now. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Don't even open Sundial then. 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 . Their palpable burning desire for one another has carried fans through two seasons packed with . #whathaveidone #booksfordays #whoops, Herbs have been planted. I opted for the audiobook, and I have to say, Christopher Raglands narration is absolutely top-notch. No one is who they appear to be, a fact that is lost on them. I know thats tough to do as you want to read everyones reviews and see if the plot is a good fit. 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. Wayward Magazine features veteran entertainment journalism staff covering new releases in horror and horror-adjacent fiction (mostly books). Thank you, Catriona Ward, NetGalley, and Viper books for the opportunity to read this book. Claire Douglas | The Girls Who Disappeared, Amy Lea | Exes and Os (The Influencer #2), Trish Doller | Off The Map (Beck Sisters #3). All the evidence is there in the beginning. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. I wasnt surprised, in hindsight, but still. I loved being suspicious, piecing it together in my mind, feeling a tad disoriented. Revenge. You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. and our 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. If you watch a lot movies or read a lot of books not much comes off as a surprise. Bravo and a round of applause to Catriona Ward!!! As soon as you crack open Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street, you know something's very wrong. I kept reading because of the amazing reviews. At the end of the street are the eerie Woods where the gods are buried. But his love is for his cat, Olivia. It was such a fantastic book!. 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. First person narrators for me are a much more realistic way of presenting the world than an omniscient, Godlike creator. THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET blew me away. First we find out that Olivia is one of Laurens alters, created to hide from the pain that Ted was causing her. I thought long and hard because at first, I wasnt sure if portraying DID in a horror setting was something I was comfortable with. Horror books; Fiction; This is the best book I have read in recent years. Despite my general like of the grimdark/dark fantasy subgenre, horror is a genre I rarely read in. Lulu had followed Dee while she hit on Trevor, and while Dee and Trevor were fooling around, Lulu slipped on some rocks and hit her head and died. The description is vague on purpose, and the best thing to do is just dive in without any information. 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. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to . This is a story the reader . That's where you're wrong. It blew . A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. But I'll talk about this a bit more in depth in the spoilers section after the review itself. What I got was a distorted story that used mental illness as its major plot point. I felt that this was just perhaps pushing the envelope a little bit further., Ward refers to her previous novels as Gothic-style stories of distressed girls wandering about on moors, and says that part of her drive to write Needless Street came from an urge to do something completely different and to write something as mad as I liked.. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on . 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. But Ill talk about this a bit more in depth in the spoilers section after the review itself. Edition: Main. The Last House on Needless Street is finally out! I loved Olivia! They felt haphazard and cheap. The perspectives switch between Ted, the sister of the abducted child, and that of Teds cat. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Its pretty heartbreaking. Im not sure where it sits, Ward admits with a laugh during a lengthy conversation with Den of Geek. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. (LogOut/ As for Dee, while I didnt have any feelings for her, Im not 100% sure she deserved to die as she did. A division of The Kreisau Circle LLC. I knew what was happening in this story. The Plot (from Goodreads): Three missing girls. love my little shire life. Put it on the ground right there.". 1 ijnfleetadmiral Omake: The Kong-Ree ijnfleetadmiral Omake: You need more than luck, Goto Judge Mental Omake: Wrong question, Issei gS49 Omake: Gred and Forge find out a secret MagisterAurelius Omake: Darth Draco is Displeased Everything in The Last House on Needless Street is old, dirty, or broken. 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). Otherwise, feel free to skip this part and maybe grab a copy for yourself if youd like to make your own judgment! September 29, 2021. 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. To me, that unreliability is incredibly lifelike, but I think its unnerving to people. "The Wizard of Oz" (Victor Fleming, 1939) As iconic musicals go, "The Wizard of Oz" nearly takes the cake. Im not sure I make any sense, so lets move on. I did not think I would find such a perfect match in I Witnessed A Crime. The ending is propulsive and shocking and definitely had me re-running prior scenes in my head to assist with putting the pieces together. I had previously recommended Catriona Ward`d first two novels on this sub. 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. - was it as simple as the mum ended up burying LuLu on her property whilst she was away on holiday. But I kept going because I was confused and felt that I might still be right. 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. Ted lives on Needless Street. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. But I don't need a mirror to know how I look. I was concerned when I realized this wasn't pure thriller from the get-go. You dont get to know everything about everyone. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Ted Bannerman lives alone with his cat Olivia in a dilapidated, boarded up house at the end of a cul-de-sac. That was a decision, Ward says. 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. . Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. All rights reserved. Seeking redemption and revenge is one thing, but inflicting self-judgment on innocent people is a whole another one. The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. Privacy Policy. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward | 9781788166164,Buy new & second-hand (used) books online with Free UK Delivery at AwesomeBooks.com Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2021. Please only click on the spoiler tag if you already read the book or have no intention of reading it. Sandra's b-day episode! 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 . No longer must I search my heart for a love that I cannot feel." Catriona Ward adds to these greats with The Last House on Needless Street a tale of a man and his household that will make you question your morality and your senses. The Last House on Needless Street has been called a horror novel or a gothic thriller. He doesnt have friends and he cant quite get free of his mothers influence over him even though shes been long gone. That was my first encounter with this particular mental disorder so I had no understanding of what it really meant. 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. 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. 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].. Snakes were her one true fear because they slithered out from under Lulus body when she found it. It sounds trite but this is story-telling at its finest. I don`t even want to try and review it, because I won`t do it justice. All original content on this site belongs to the author. Her desperation drove her to the edge of sanity, and I guess thats what she paid for in the end. How did that book end? But thisthis is a whole new level. Delivery charges may apply. Just finished the bookagreed 100%. SHOW SPOILERS Ted Bannerman lives alone with his cat Olivia in a boarded up house at the end of Needless Street. I listened to this book and I'm glad that I was forced to stay with the pacing of the novel. The Last House on Needless Street Audible Audiobook - Unabridged Catriona Ward (Author), Christopher Ragland (Narrator), Viper (Publisher) & 0 more 4.0 out of 5 stars 3,338 ratings But youre wrong. The clues are all there, slowly introduced by fact or omission, even the street name takes on a different tone when the final page is turned. 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 . To comply with FTC guidelines, I receive no compensation for the reviews or promotional content posted. Anyway, not long after my friend confided in me our contact quite abruptly ended. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is available in hardback and audible, published by Viper; the paperback will be released on 30th September, 2021. 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. When she ran back her sister had been taken by someone. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The conclusion is somehow so predictable, while also being entirely chaotic in its execution. Looking back from the end of the book, Im amazed at how well-executed this story was. The cat chapters were a little kooky (who knew cats could be religious! Ted remembers details from his childhood, for example. I have a little request for those of you whove already read this. I can`t remember the last time I had my emotions so completely and cleverly manipulated. Then as the story progressed, I started thinking of DID until it got confirmed that DID indeed got the drivers seat in the story. *** 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' - And I think I have whiplash from all the twists! Whether he did or not, as well as the mystery of what happened to the Girl with Popsicle who vanished back then, are just two of the story threads this ambitious narrative attempts to balance as it juggles three different perspectivesone of whom is the aforementioned cat and asks readers to question what they believe to be true and why. Ted has blocked out the outside world as much as possible, except for his . It releases on September 28th! 'The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. And according to Ward, that unease is absolutely something she counted on her audience feeling. How did reflecting upon the events in each timeline influence your reading experience? This is the story of a murderer. Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse. TW: child abuse, portrayal of mental health. I feel like I need to re-read this book in order to catch all the clues I missed! Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. Abused as a child, he has turned mostly into a recluse in his adult life, going out to get food when necessary and see his therapist so he can get his meds. An unspeakable secret binds them together, and when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees behind their house will come back to haunt them all. The Last House On Needless Street is the latest work from award-winning horror author, Catriona Ward. The books narrative counts on its readers to feel as though they know whats happening, that theyve already guessed the twists ahead of them. But that was one twist I didnt quite see coming the mother being the psychopath, I mean. More than biting into a nice apple and finding a worm, this book is like unexpectedly stepping on the worm barefoot, only to find out the worm isn't a worm and I mean that in the best way possible. The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. Change). Just finished this after being recommended it by my SIL. This book is wearing the disguise of horror. I can see how people enjoyed the writing. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. The police officer suspected Dee. My dear friends, please add this brilliant book to your reading list! An unspeakable secret binds them . 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. Weight: 340 g. Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 34 mm. To me it is a tightly woven tale, full of tension and intrigue, with the truth just dangled tantalisingly out of reach. Book spoilers aheadif you havent yet read. A space to share book reviews and other book related treats. 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. Book: "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward. That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. As an avid reader, I often find myself reading a book description and not being able to remember whether Ive read it before. To me, everything is as it seems. Her debutRawbloodwon Best Horror Novel at the 2016 British Fantasy Awards, and was a WHSmith Fresh Talent title. When two beautiful college girls move across the street from Derek and Chad, sinister things begin to happen. It is pretty obvious that something isnt right in the house right off the bat. '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. Her next gothic thriller, The Last House on Needless Street, will be published March 2021 by Viper (Serpents Tail). 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. The therapist doesn't play a huge role in The Last House on Needless Street, but he certainly didn't help things! An Own Voices review of The Last House on Needless Street can be found on the channel The Chaotic Little Book Corner htt. 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. But in the grand scheme of things, I found this book a bit underwhelming. I dont know, I felt like all those big reveals thrown at us in the last parts were too muchI mean come on, too much going on with such a narrow character list. Dee was looking for Lulus body but had lied so convincingly over the years that she herself believed Lulu was still alive. Are you afraid of it too? Then youre forming this bond where you travel through the fear together., But, then again, by the time they reach the final page of Needless Street, readers ideas of what constitutes a horror storyand where precisely Wards book falls within the genremay have changed. Ted, for example, is unfamiliar to himself: I took the mirrors down some years ago because they upset Lauren. Its futile to resist it. What kind of parent says they dont love their child? It was obvious the cat was an alt personality. Dee didn`t kill her own sister, it was accidental and she panicked and ran off only to realize she wasn`t dead. I know what my reactions should have been, especially as the reveals were coming up, but I really just wanted to get to the end to see where it all goes. Death. Timy reviews The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Wards Horror novel, published by Viper. But he cant help thinking about Little Girl with Popsicle, a girl who went missing from the lake a few miles from Teds house. I dont know. I think everything I read for the rest of this year will pale in comparison. Ted is an odd sort of a fellow. I knew Ted was innocent, but I didnt guess the DID storyline. 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. A stolen child. I no longer need to think of you as my son. Thanks for the great review! Hear noises at chasingthesky.bandcamp.com. I'm getting bigger all the time. The Last House on the Street: Directed by Adam Berardi. Then as the story progressed, I started thinking of DID until it got confirmed that DID indeed got the drivers seat in the story. spoiler I just finished it, I completely agree there was TOO much going on, I kind of figured where it was going with Ted, it was kind of obvious when they were at the mall with Lauren. I hadn`t read anything about this book prior, just jumped straight in. Lauren appears in her own narrated chapters later in the book. The Last House on Needless Street is a powerful story told by a first-rate craftsperson. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time.