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. 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. I feel like I need to re-read this book in order to catch all the clues I missed! Ted was a person of interest in the disappearance and now she is determined to find her sister or find the person responsible. It feels like a complete short story unto itself, and rightly so because it is integral to all that follows. Her desperation drove her to the edge of sanity, and I guess thats what she paid for in the end. Ted, for example, is unfamiliar to himself: I took the mirrors down some years ago because they upset Lauren. One of the best books I've ever read. Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse. The ending is propulsive and shocking and definitely had me re-running prior scenes in my head to assist with putting the pieces together. This is a great example of the skill of showing and not telling. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. 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. 431. Regardless if you . One particular line in chapter 1 made me guess the first twist, and from then on, the rest was easy to figure out. 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. 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. Because in my opinion, this is not even close to a gothic thriller. The Last House on Needless Street is out September 28th. out of By Catriona Ward. Ted`s mother was reponsible for the child disapearances over the years, so no, it wasn`t coincidental. We know you all have many questions for Catriona Ward, author of The Last House On Needless Street. 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. Put it on the ground right there.". 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. 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. . Please do not copy or reproduce without explicit permission. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. Eleven years ago, Lulu, a six year old girl, disappeared from the nearby lake. The last twist was that Teds mother was the one who took Lulus body for more of her medical experiments. Descriptions of his love of nature reveal his complex character: he takes joy in feeding birds, and the nearby forest is a source of comfort to him; at times he feels he is 'in its . I think its one people will either love or hate . Stephen King called Sundial Authentically terrifying. 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. Its futile to resist it. 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. Required fields are marked *. The mothers coldness should have been a big red flag. Please only click on the spoiler tag if you already read the book or have no intention of reading it. I knew Ted was innocent, but I didnt guess the DID storyline. But I kept going because I was confused and felt that I might still be right. Not very successfully. The Last House on Needless Street moves away from the historical to the contemporary gothic, but deserves just as much praise and attention. Hands up, when I started reading this, I thought it wasnt going to be for me, but it turns out I was wrong, and I was duly rewarded with a strange, dark, but unique reading experience. The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. So we could provide even more entertainment for you! September 29, 2021. Those that Ted interacts with are christened with Ted names such as bug man his therapist and Chihuahua lady, one of his neighbours. It is impossible to write a meaningful analysis of The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Viper, 2021) without . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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 . The cat chapters were a little kooky (who knew cats could be religious! Revenge. He also disappears for days at a time and finds himself saying things like "I did some damage when I was out" or realizes he's thinking of the "wrong memory.". *** 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' - I did not like the last 20-30% at all when the big "reveals" happen. 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. There . It hangs like it has been strapped there. Then as the story progressed, I started thinking of DID until it got confirmed that DID indeed got the drivers seat in the story. You think youve read this story before. A few more weeks in October would be great! Were afraid of Ted, because context clues say we should be, because our own knowledge of the world has shown us its often right to be suspicious of loner men who live in shabby, boarded up houses at the end of the lane. Every little bit helps, and with so many tenants running around in the corridors, the Asylum would appreciate if you could help us keep running everything smoothly. 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. Death. I have a little request for those of you whove already read this. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those books that is difficult to describe without giving away spoilers. Okay, Im making quick connection: not only to add to your list, please read it! There is also a skill to taking difficult and horrific situations and diffuse care and feeling into the writing, so that the issues raised arent dealt with gratuitously. There are all these oppositions in place. And yet they are all liesYou think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. I hope its [really] about survival and hope as much as it is about suffering. Her words stung me. 'The Last House on Needless Street' is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. Like, holy shit, talk about psychopaths At first when they were in the forest and his mother revealed her fathers history and told Ted she never loved him I thought her coldness for her son was, if not natural, kinda understandable. 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 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. You just dont, Ward says. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. 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. 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. This article does not joke about Needless Street however: the twist is literally given away for anyone with the least perception or thought process on the first page or two. Possible Spoilers Ahead. I gave a single nod. The determined and watchful Dee takes up residence next to Ted's dilapidated home, intent on locating Lulu, convinced of Ted's involvement. While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. A twenty-year mystery. I knew what was happening in this story. 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. by Catriona Ward. The Last House on Needless Street is a powerful story told by a first-rate craftsperson. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward ~ARCReview~, Fin for short Fingolfin, the High King of the Noldor and was able to wound Morgorth seven times in battle, You may be a world class procrastinator when you have a million other things that must get done but youre like nah, I am gonna organize my books that I dont have bookshelves for yet. He's unemployed and drinks a lot. I dont know. What cat understands English and speaks in slang? Im just really not into it, I guess. Sometimes you just want to say read it, and then talk to me about it, and leave your review at that. This was a book about DID. 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.. It made me think of an online friend I had a couple of years ago, who as she confessed to me at one point has DID. Bravo and a round of applause to Catriona Ward!!! In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. And, as the story progresses, certain moments reinforce those assumptions. Both novels are critical darlings & both are horror-adjacent . Revenge. ), but such a creative way to describe Ted from another point of view. But that plotlines closure felt a bitforced? In her delirium, we find out that her memory about that day at the beach had been unreliable. It's also useless, because nothing in The Last House on Needless Street is what it seems. He lives secluded, has his mental health problems, and the only time he leaves the house is when he is going to the forest, to a local therapist for meds and advice, and to local pubs to drink and try to date women. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. This book is the exact reason why I rarely read reviews before picking up a book. Its inhabitants include a man who drinks a lot, an angry teenage girl who isn't allowed out, and a religious cat. Book spoilers to jog your memory. All these things are true. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three.