Oct 12, 2021 | Book Reviews, Horror, mystery, Thriller | 12 comments. What role does guilt play in the narrative? Stop-starter of all projects great and small. Synopsis: A communitys past sins rise to the surface when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery. Discuss the effect of bias in the SCOPE program. Broadly, the novel follows Ted, a man living alone in his mid-30s, his daughter Lauren, his lesbian Bible-reading cat Olivia and a woman named Dee who lost Stop-starter of all projects great and small. "The new face of literary dark fiction." Discuss what that means in the context of this story. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Reality: A slow-burn mystery with some satisfying last act reveals. I have been lied to in the best possible way and I enjoyed every single moment. Change). I just dont think that such emotional impact requires abandoning good storytelling logic and realistic characters. And its here that Ward just stops playing fair with her readers. A missing child. A stolen child. Since finishing it, Ive thought about it every single day. Multi-tasking: Good to go, but since it feels like we toggle between fantasy and real-life, its better to stick to activities that will allow you to concentrate on the mystery. The very subject matter of parental abuse and the destructive traumas that children of abusers can carry into adulthood is alone enough to be triggering to a great many readers. Olivia is in love with an outdoor cat that strolls by the window peephole, and she has an odd relationship with another cat named Night-time. This is a psychological horror story that leads you to believe certain things, but then pulls the rug out from under you late in the story. Once I acknowledged this discomfort and moved on, I found I could read my way through this book and enjoy the fact that its an incredibly brilliant story, twisted in such surprising ways that I was always eager to turn the page and find the answers that inevitably eluded me until the very end. Frustrated with the lack of results from the police, she has zeroed in on Ted as the prime suspect. Catriona Ward was born in Washington, D.C. Publication date 16 Sep 2021. I just finished reading this and loved it!! BookBrowse LLC 1997-2023. Ward does a great job of creating an ominous atmosphere, especially surrounding Ted, his house, and Olivia and Lauren. Now she writes novels and short stories, and reviews for various publications. Her family moved a lot and she grew up all over the world, including in the United States, Kenya, Madagascar, Yemen, and Morocco. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Expectation: A page-turning supernatural thriller. All these things are true. He has only his cat Olivia for company, and he rarely leaves the house. WebIn a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Death. Known to most as Little Girl with Popsicle, her sister Lulu disappeared and was never seen again. But remember, everything in this book is setup for a shocking twist. From the ramshackle houses to the disappearing children, theres something nefarious at foot but is it human or supernatural? It appears Dee had some responsibility for the death and disappearance of her sister and the subsequent destruction of her family. At the end, in chapter 52, Ellie admits that she and Reed may have ended up together in another lifetime. Right away we see that things arent quite right with Ted. Thats where youre wrong. Is it a thriller mystery along the likes of Blake Crouch, or is that wishful thinking on my part??? This is all I can say without giving Personally, I had Cameron Britton in my head as Ted. Think Ill pass I much prefer nasty ghosts to nasty people , I prefer nasty ghouls to nasty people any day! All the main characters, besides Dee, are his separate identities. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. He has only his cat Olivia for company, and he WebListen to "Das letzte Haus in der Needless Street Thriller" by Catriona Ward available from Rakuten Kobo. Im probably like you in that I would also start to think about how such things really do occur/are occurring in the world and that makes this type of book one Im far less likely to want to read. The fact that Catriona has crafted characters that you can be scared of and feel sorry for at the same time is incredible. Growing up in the well-to-do town of Round Hill, North Carolina, Ellie Hockley was raised to be a proper Southern lady. This is a book thats oppressive and disturbing, sometimes nearly overwhelming in its sadness, but one that comes from a place of real humanity and caring. Here it does. His young daughter stays from time to time, but he keeps her hidden away too. Ted is of course an unreliable narrator, as is the bible-reading Olivia, so its difficult to believe much of anything being described. Learn how your comment data is processed. But, its also not what you think when you start reading it, it turns into something totally unexpectedI dont want to give anything away! Revenge. And yet some of them ar Read more Community Reviews Summary of 7,367 reviews Moods dark 95% mysterious 81% If this was a movie, Id watch it again for clues, but Im not that interested in doing it here. Do you believe this could have been true? A stolen child. This is the story of a serial killer. I dont normally read horror but this is pretty irresistible, especially getting Olivias POV. Shes the only author to have won the August Derleth Prize for Best Horror Novel at the British Fantasy Awards twiceonce in 2016 for her debut, Rawblood, and again in 2019 for her second, Little Eveand has also been shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, a WHSmith Fresh Talent title, and won the 2019 Shirley Jackson Award. Publication City/Country United Kingdom. Synopsis An Indie Next Pick! You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. This helped slowly build the mystery and allow the reader to revisit key points in near real-time. I have to admit I was confused for quite a long time, but Ward does bury clues within her tale, and astute readersor even readers who are well versed in thrillersmay be able to figure things out. I honestly didnt even catch the plot point about the sister because I stopped paying attention during the final act. This plot is so intricate, I cant help but be in awe of the planning it must have required, which is one of the reasons Im so impressed by this book, even if it pushed me to my empathetic edge. Its a form of mental illness that is still not well understood, but has been featured so often as a device in horror stories and thrillers that its more or less become cliche. Why or why not? Search: It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its And that is the beauty of this storygetting to the truth is a circuitous and uneven path, one I never grew tired of. I love surprises like this if theyre handled well:-), Wow, Tammy. Gotta agree with all of this. the characters are, since they never seem to agree on what they see or experience. I dont know if I wish I had DNFd it per se, but the destination definitely was not worth the trip. This is her first novel with Serpents Tail imprint, Viper Books. I give The Last House on Needless Street a 4/5 as it is an excellent psychological horror involving murder, serial killers, and survival to the highest degree in a cruel world. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Recently hes been dating and its not gone too well, so hes been extra stressed. Shes there to make his life better, to make him smile when hes sad and calm him when hes stressed. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Even when the detective in charge of the case started to give up, Dee kept hunting. Looks like I have lots more to look forward to! It all just struck me as so much unnecessary red herring. You know from the outset theres a lot more to this than the characters are showing you, but its so carefully written you cant quite figure out what theyre hiding. For sure, but I think she's going to have a very bright future as a horror writer at the rate she's going. A stolen child. Hi, I'm Cara and welcome to my bookish world. Revenge. Author Bio, First Published: He seems to be obsessed with his dead mother, who he refers to as Mommy. Even more unsettling is his relationship with his daughter, Lauren. This isnt a spoiler. A stolen child. He loses time and makes frequent, nighttime trips to the nearby woods. I had no idea what would transpire at the end and when it did WOW! Has this statement ever rung true in your life? I was interested before but after reading your review I WANT this book. Revenge. Ted was abused by his psychopathic and murderous mother for years, which led him to develop dissociative identity disorder. How did the alternating timelines and voices impact your reading experience? From the outside, she appears to be a woman who is still mourning her sister, and now that she seems to have proof that Ted might have been involved, shes filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. Dates read: January 27 February 2, 2022. Lulu was never found, nor was her body, so to this day her disappearance remains a mystery. This is one of the books Ive most been looking forward to and your fabulous review has me even more excited! Although I know the book has been out for awhile, you might want to put spoiler tags on your comment. Copyright 2020 I've Read This. Learn how your comment data is processed. Olivia thinks she was sent to protect Ted by the LORD (always described in caps like that), and she occasionally knocks Teds Bible off the table in order to read a random Bible verse (if youve ever read the Bible, youll understand how unsettling some of it is). We earn commission on any purchases made. These little bits of information eventually reveal what actually happenedor do they? WebDescription This is the story of a murderer. I mean wow, what a book! An exquisitely rendered portrait of a unique father-daughter relationship and a moving memoir of family and identity. BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfictionbooks that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. The other device the author uses is that she shows the same events from two different perspectives. The nitty-gritty: A creepy, disturbing tale perfect for fans of twisty, psychological horror. Its a difficult book to review however, as the less you know about the plot going in, the better (though the title reminds me of the house on Neibolt street from IT, its not a spoiler for me to say that there arent any clowns hanging around in storm drains), but Ill do my best. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Winston also sings a few verses from "I'll Fly Away" to Ellie on the first night they meet in the tree house on page 277. A compassionate, heartrending memoir of a mother's quest to accept her son's journey through psychosis. The house itself, although not haunted like I first expected, also acts as another character, releasing shuddering movements at particular times that only the cat can recognize. $15 for 3 months. This adds to the atmosphere of desperation and the knife edge feeling that something explosive could occur at any moment. WebHer next gothic thriller, The Last House on Needless Street, was published through Viper Books (an imprint of Serpent's Tail) in March 2021, and Tor Nightfire in the US, in The story was contained there are some high concept elements, but for the most part, the plot centers around a few people and a single setting, which helps it feel immersive. While theres satisfaction in seeing a bully get comeuppance, does it really need to be at the expense of one mentally ill person targeting another? Death. The Last House on Needless Street, by Catriona Ward, is the best written book I wish Id never read. I wish I could wax lyrical about what twists I liked best and the clues I missed, but I have no intention of explaining the ending. WebThe 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 Firstly, when I started reading The Last House on Needless Street, I expected a bone-chilling horror and prepared myself for some gore. An A teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after last time. The Last House on Needless Street follows awkward shut-in Ted and his loyal sidekick, Olivia the cat. Something horrible may or may not have happened in Teds past. He was once a suspect in a missing person case involving a little girl named Laura. hah. First, were led to believe Ted is the villain throughout the novel abusing animals, keeping his daughter locked up, drinking uncontrollably, living slovenly and (maybe) killing people only to realize in the end that he is the victim and maybe everything weve been told prior isnt exactly true. Revenge. The narrative structure each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of four characters, and each person provides a slightly different view of what we learned in the previous chapter. In her authors note (which, again, dont read before you finish the book as it gives away the major twist) Ward describes it as a story about survival, disguised as a book about horror. This is a pretty good thumbnail description. Its powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? This is where the story begins to go wrong. From literary classics to sci-fi graphic novels, I love it all. Ted also has a daughter, a little girl named Lauren, who shows up at odd times for a visit before she has to go away. Are you starting to get the picture yet? You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But the way you know misdirection and especially plot twists have been done correctly is if you as the reader can reverse-engineer the story, looking back at earlier sections to discover, yes, there were the clues along, there was always enough information in the narrative for me to have solved this if I had been observant enough. He drinks too much, and because Olivia is a god-fearing cat who loves Ted despite her disgust with his bad habits, she stays permanently indoors, only having a few glimpses of a neighborhood cat to look forward to each day. Mothers, either of the abusive or excessively smothering variety, who have left their adult children with a boatload of devastating mental health problems have become one of horror fictions most recycled tropes. This is the story of a serial Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you. And yet they are all lies You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. Click here to receive notifications of An Average Life new posts by email. This was the first novel Ive ever read by Ward and her style of writing is absolutely fantastic. This House may look good on the outside, but inside, its a real fixer-upper. To say she has mad skills is a massive underestimation here. While Ward toed that line delicately, a few things still didnt sit right with me. Catriona Ward is no stranger to gothic fiction. 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. The story revolves around a handful of characters: Ted Bannerman is a single man who lives in a creepy, boarded up house on Needless Street. 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. View all posts by Roxanne Michelle. I have been meaning to get this book for ages. A gut-punch of a novel about a Cherokee child removed from her family and sent to a Christian boarding school in the 1950s. This is a psychological horror story that leads you to believe certain things, but then pulls the rug out from under you late in the story. Any book is up for discussion as long as that discussion is respectful. All these things are true. Posted July 22, 2021 by Tammy in 5 stars, Reviews / 33 Comments, Ive gotta say Im SUPER intrigued by this book after reading your review. Look, misdirection is fantastic. And yet, it was unputdownable despite this dark subject matter, so although its not the spooky haunted house I was expecting for my Halloween reading, I was terrified all the same. BOOM! On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As soon as you think you have it all figured out, there will be one more twist to keep you gripped. He has a black cat named Olivia who isnt allowed outside the house, and a daughter named Lauren. , Oh Im so used to just ignoring blurbs most of the time, especially Stephen King, he blurbs everything these days! The years passed and so did her parents, but she never gave up the hunt to find the person that took her sister. 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