My first DNF in quite a while. By day I'm a content, social media and PR specialist and in my spare time, I'm a book blogger. The must-read gothic thriller of 2021 from the Shirley Jackson and August Derleth award-winning author of Little Eve and Rawblood. If youve read the novel, you understand that mental illness is the central plot. How would the story be different if they were just friends? There were moments when I thought continuity mistakes had been made (I have a proof copy so it can happen) but trust me when I say that nothing in this book is a mistake. Stop-starter of all projects great and small. Being able to read the same situations play out from the perspective of other characters and even cats (yes, cats!) The characters yes, a talking cat is one of the primary narrators. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Who do you believe feels the most guilt? Article You think youve read this story before. I honestly didnt even catch the plot point about the sister because I stopped paying attention during the final act. Thats where youre wrong. Since finishing it, Ive thought about it every single day. At last, she has the address of the man who was originally suspected of her abduction. ISBN10 1788166183. Change). The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward will undoubtedly be on my top 10 book list of 2021. Death. In chapter 21, Kayla finds a letter that her father, Reed, wrote to Jackson, describing their new house as "haunted." Can you describe a situation where this statement resonated with you? A stolen child. 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. It doesnt just get under your skin; it embeds itself there like your first blurry green/black tattoo you had a fifteen (just me?). However, none of the characters are quite what they appear. Stop-starter of all projects great and small. What is the role of music for the civil rights activists? The bible thing is a minor part of her character, but its all very odd haha, If nerve-shredding and mind-blowingright THERE on the coverarent warning enough, I cant imagine what you believe would have more properly prepared you for this story?! Not to yuck anyones yum here, but I did not particularly love The Last House on Needless Street. I love when I can read a book and I truly not know the direction that it will take. Catriona Ward is an American and British horror novelist. Synopsis An Indie Next Pick! And that is the beauty of this storygetting to the truth is a circuitous and uneven path, one I never grew tired of. What is the house haunted by, if not supernatural beings? The fact that Catriona has crafted characters that you can be scared of and feel sorry for at the same time is incredible. Discuss the effect of bias in the SCOPE program. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. I strongly agree that the sister should have been a reliable narrator. Ward dips back into the past at times and we learn more about Teds childhood, as well as the events at the lake the day Lulu disappeared. Subtle hints are dropped to keep us trying to guess what Olivia knows but doesnt care enough to mention- a fun, unique aspect of Needless Street. I just finished reading this and loved it!! 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. This is the twist that has largely propelled the novel to popularity, but I felt his childlike and duplicitous portrayal made it difficult to offer the forgiveness that Ward was going for. This really does sound super creepy. After her earlier novels Rawblood and Little Eve gained wide critical acclaim, can The Last House on Needless Street live up to the hype? But remember, everything in this book is setup for a shocking twist. Dee moves into the vacant house next door to Ted and begins to spy on him, convinced that not only was Ted responsible for abducting Lulu, but that Lulu is still alive and being held inside Teds house. house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. I love/hate it when authors pulls the rug out from under you and leaving you shocked. Revenge. Frustrated with the lack of results from the police, she has zeroed in on Ted as the prime suspect. Look for a review on the blog later this week! Its powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions. Carolyn is a librarian and book addict with an MA in Creative Writing with aspirations to one day be a published author. The cat is one of the narrators yes. I certainly didnt, which I guess makes me the perfect reader! Even when the detective in charge of the case started to give up, Dee kept hunting. Which characters do you think are most impacted by loneliness? Don't miss a beat! To know too much going in would have ruined the reading experience for me. And its here that Ward just stops playing fair with her readers. When she returned to London she worked on her first novel while writing for a human rights foundation until she left to take an MA in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. How do you imagine Ellie felt? In the last house on Needless Street lives Ted, his daughter Lauren and cat Olivia. His young daughter stays from time to time, but he keeps her hidden away too. At this point, Ward asks us to believe a chain of events that are frankly incredible. A Book Blog for Speculative Fiction, Graphic Novels and more! Glad you loved it as much as I did :-). Yes actually, the cat does get a happy ending! I just finished it and felt like starting it all over again so I could read it with a more complete understanding of how it all fits together. 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. All rights reserved. Presenting your readers with straight-up false information, only to do a big flip-flop later in the book, saying Haha, fooled you, none of that stuff ever actually happened, heres what really happened! feels less like good storytelling and more like story-trolling. If you liked this, youll enjoy Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. Oct 12, 2021 | Book Reviews, Horror, mystery, Thriller | 12 comments. Second, its the intersection of grief, revenge and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Once you realize misdirection is the entire goal here, its no longer misdirection, its just a book believing that its smarter than its readers. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those rare novels I read that kept me on the edge of my seat from the moment I started. Is the cat one of the narrators? Naturally we are encouraged to scratch our chins and think Hmm, Lulu Lauren is there a connection?. WebListen to "Das letzte Haus in der Needless Street Thriller" by Catriona Ward available from Rakuten Kobo. Synopsis This is the story of a serial killer. I dont normally read horror but this is pretty irresistible, especially getting Olivias POV. What is the importance of society and "fitting in" for the characters in the 1965 timeline? Catriona Ward expects us to swallow all of this with complete credulity. His only companion is a cat named Olivia, who has her own chapters in which she is the first-person viewpoint narrator, suggesting that Olivia is either a very special cat indeed or maybe not a cat at all. Jan 2023, 368 pages, Book Reviewed by:Jane McCormack Personally, I had Cameron Britton in my head as Ted. (LogOut/ At the end, in chapter 52, Ellie admits that she and Reed may have ended up together in another lifetime. But I think Ward could have given poor Ted a mother who fit that trope, if thats the trope she really needed to utilize, without going overboard into making the woman into some kind of Resident Evil villain performing devilish medical experiments on missing children. WebThe Last House on Needless Street. Any book is up for discussion as long as that discussion is respectful. Time is not always linear in this story, so flashbacks of Dee and Teds childhood interrupt the suspenseful present-day plotline, while other times its unclear whether someone is recalling a memory or creating one. Buy This Book. A teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after last time. [2] Little Eve also went on to win the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award for best novel. Revenge. In the dark of the forest, among the white birch trees, something lies buried. There are too many plot contrivances that ask us to be extremely generous with our willing suspension of disbelief, too many supporting characters who seem like exaggerated and even cartoonish caricatures. Like putting a hat on a hat. Its the tragic and often heart-wrenching story of a man living with a profound mental illness, and how this illness forces him to navigate his life. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. All these things are true. 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? This House may look good on the outside, but inside, its a real fixer-upper. Teds infrequent trips to the bug doctor give us a little extra insight into his personality and a few ideas of important events. She built up the setting well, characters that are relatable, and makes it so once this ride was over, youll be completely blown away once you start to put all the pieces together. Im super excited by the news that Andy Serkis production company has optioned the film rights to this because itll be a whole new way to enjoy this story. 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. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Again with Ted blanking for unknown time periods and trying to garner advice from his doctor only by describing TV shows, we are piecing together truth from fiction. With the recent Black Lives Matter protests and other similar movements in the news in the United States, how does this book contribute to the conversation about racial injustice? The silly level of reader manipulation in this moment was immediately topped 3-4 chapters later when it turns out the scarf Ted supposedly took from a victim was actually something she dropped and he tried in vain to return to her. Moreover, it becomes evident as you read that Ward does not establish anything at all in her story that she doesnt plan to completely overturn with an M. Night Shyamalan-style twist. Its a very unique book and one Ill remember for many years to come. I absolutely loved it, but I guess it could be in part that, as the spouse of a system (person with DID), I really appreciate her final notes on DID. Maybe I read too much r/fakedisordercringe but I figured out the twist the minute Ted said the cat had to go away when the daughter came over. Synopsis This is the story of a serial killer. To say she has mad skills is a massive underestimation here. You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. 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. Ask yourself: if you, as a young woman all alone, were convinced that a specific man was responsible for the abduction and murder of your sibling, would you move into the house next door to him? Im relieved I kept going because being pushed to the brink is clearly what the author intended with her plot development. 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