Tanya H. said "I don't know why they've got so many bad reviews but our experience was great! There is something odd going on in the boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street. As an affiliate for Amazon, I may receive a small monetary commission for purchases made through certain links on this website. Under the Readers Radar celebrating the quiet novel, Sunday Sum-Up #7: Reviews, Discussions and Bookstagram - Bibliosini, Derby Book Festival 27 May to 5 June 2021 From First Page to Last, Follow From First Page to Last on WordPress.com. 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. This is the story of a serial killer. I gave a single nod. His daughter Lauren visits occasionally. 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. MEDIA REVIEWS. Lauren is not a very happy teenager but enjoys riding her bicycle in the house. I wanted to read this book and be shocked, so I ignored other reviews and didnt even read the synopsis. I'm getting bigger all the time. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on, but when you're standing on shaky ground and the narrative keeps throwing curveballs your way, believing you know what's happening is almost impossible. 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. Some are more disturbing than others. Whilst I had my suspicions fairly early on about what was going on, I still enjoyed every second of it. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. I knew what was happening in this story. THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET blew me away. When a woman named Dee moves into the abandoned house next door while on her quest to find her sister, who was kidnapped years ago, Ted's life begins to spiral into chaos. The Last House on Needless Street moves away from the historical to the contemporary gothic, but deserves just as much praise and attention. 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. Regardless if you . The Last House on Needless Street: The Last House on Needless Street follows Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. A division of The Kreisau Circle LLC. The Last House on Needless Street is a book that has twists not for their own sake, but because what we think of as twists-unexpected events nonetheless grounded in established character and plot-are a natural extension of the characters and events Ward is tackling.. Your thoughts are echoed in a very good review by Wayward Magazine. Im not sure where it sits, Ward admits with a laugh during a lengthy conversation with Den of Geek. Or watch movies for that matter. Deftly written, intricate, absorbing, The Last House on Needless Street draws the reader into its web. Everything in The Last House on Needless Street is old, dirty, or broken. That's where you're wrong. Dee dies from the snake bite. As the review details, the "multiple personality"/"it was all in their head" reveal is a tired trope by now and a cop-out substitute for good story telling and plot development. Ted stayed inside in his own mind whenever his mother was in a bad mood. Just in time for October's spooky reading season. A teenage girl who isnt allowed outside, not after last time. 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. What was her role in everything?! He doesnt have friends and he cant quite get free of his mothers influence over him even though shes been long gone. Please do not copy or reproduce without explicit permission. Around halfway, I think things start to fall apart fast. Death. Overall, The Last House on Needless Street is a thought-provoking novel, with some chilling elements, placing mental illness into the focus in a different way - which is refreshing - managing to stay with you for a long time. A few more weeks in October would be great! 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 . Find him on Twitter at @Gabino_Iglesias. I opted for the audiobook, and I have to say, Christopher Raglands narration is absolutely top-notch. I find that it is a relief. 431. There isnt a page where the story lags. 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 So, just a heads up. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. What cat understands English and speaks in slang? *Now available! Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. All rights reserved. Kayla and Ellie both suffer the loss of the man they love. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. GENRE: Thriller. The reader plays detective the whole time trying to piece together what is reliable and what is not, Ward says. Big, fat. The Last House on Needless Street is published on 18 March (Profile, 12.99). While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. . And yet they are all lies You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. For more information, please see our Book: "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward. 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. 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. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. The Last House On Needless Street is the latest work from award-winning horror author, Catriona Ward. It's 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. 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.. She wasn't out of the car before an exhilarated voice said two words she had learned that Chifuyu would think were her most beloved words . This all seems rather straightforward, aside from maybe getting the perspective of Olivia the . Accepting that things didnt quite make sense but knowing it would come together. Thriller/psychological twisty turner, I couldn't put it down and read it in two days straight. 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 best way to go into this book is completely blind to any information about it. Almost time to get my garden going. He's unemployed and drinks a lot. Instead, its darkness is primarily rooted in more mental frights: Unreliable narrators, oppressively narrow points of view, and an almost unbearable tension lace through even the most basic scenes. First person narrators for me are a much more realistic way of presenting the world than an omniscient, Godlike creator. 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 . A young girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. Ill be marking the place where Ill go into spoiler territory, so youll have a warning if youd rather not read on. If you watch a lot movies or read a lot of books not much comes off as a surprise. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,. What's worse, she adds the further cliche of repressed memories/unreliable narrator to the protagonist in order to further obfuscate the narrative. You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. Regardless if you liked the book or not. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to . Ted lives on Needless Street. The Last House on the Street: Directed by Adam Berardi. I think thats something that horror and the darker side of fiction do very naturally anyway. Twice in the same day. 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. Lauren isn't Lauren, and also suffers from severe dissociative identity disorder. First, there's the stunning transformation as the film shifts from . Sandra's b-day episode! I listened to this book and I'm glad that I was forced to stay with the pacing of the novel. I didn't find it horrifying or terrifying, though it is thrilling to read. And yet they are all liesYou think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. Pretty clear, right? This story is about Ted, a recluse suspected of a childs abduction. Thank you, Catriona Ward, NetGalley, and Viper books for the opportunity to read this book. Dee didn`t kill her own sister, it was accidental and she panicked and ran off only to realize she wasn`t dead. The atmosphere in this novel is depressing and the strangeness can lead to confusion "'The first time I tried to run,' she says, 'he took my feet. To me it is a tightly woven tale, full of tension and intrigue, with the truth just dangled tantalisingly out of reach. Its pretty heartbreaking. Overall, not a win for me. This is something that has made its way into my psychology and my imagination, Ward says. 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. Claire Douglas | The Girls Who Disappeared, Amy Lea | Exes and Os (The Influencer #2), Trish Doller | Off The Map (Beck Sisters #3). When a new neighbor moves in next door, it seems all their secrets will finally come to light. Welcome! It feels like a complete short story unto itself, and rightly so because it is integral to all that follows. I did not think I would find such a perfect match in I Witnessed A Crime. I no longer need to think of you as my son. It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its mind-blowing secrets to the very end. Their palpable burning desire for one another has carried fans through two seasons packed with . The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. 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 . It did not feel unpredictable to me. The creepy dilapidation of the outside world mirrors their mental state. But thisthis is a whole new level. Again, I dont even know if this book is horror, Ward admits ruefully. Dee goes into the woods to have a bit of fun with the boy, tells Lulu to stay by the lake. Each one walked away with him and was never seen again. Anyway, not long after my friend confided in me our contact quite abruptly ended. The last house on Needless Street is a boarded-up, run-down shell of its former self. 3 of which have their POV chapters: Ted, Olivia, and Dee. But that was one twist I didnt quite see coming the mother being the psychopath, I mean. What a waste of time. And according to Ward, that unease is absolutely something she counted on her audience feeling. *, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Author), Christopher Ragland (Narrator). Ted lives in the last house on Needless Street. It would be a bad book if I wasnt afraid of it, she says, explaining that theres actually an important emotional element involved in telling and reading stories about our fears, of both the real and the fictional variety. The main character experiences severe childhood trauma and the story we get is the effect of that trauma. I think horror doesnt get enough credit as well for its redemptive qualities, Ward continues. Not very successfully. The same applies to the psyches of its characters. Really disappointing ending and one most could see from a mile away. When new neighbors move in next door, the legacy of the house will finally be revealed - along with the secrets buried among the trees on this dark, dead-end . This is smart! That was my first encounter with this particular mental disorder so I had no understanding of what it really meant. Don't even open Sundial then. I never heard from her again although I do think of her every once in a while. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. "You are an honest child. And while Im in the minority who didnt fall in love with Wards prose, story, or characters, I can see why others did. 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. Ok But on Saturday (the day we". 'The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. Its pretty heartbreaking. '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. Suspending belief and use of tropey twists is par for the course for horror/thriller books but this book seemed intent on piling them all into one. love my little shire life. Nighttime is another alter, but I cant remember if he really had much point other than helping to integrate them. 13.9 miles away from Hero Towing. Seeking redemption and revenge is one thing, but inflicting self-judgment on innocent people is a whole another one. The description is vague on purpose, and the best thing to do is just dive in without any information. While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. As an avid reader, I often find myself reading a book description and not being able to remember whether Ive read it before. I loved every moment of it and Im keeping the book so I can read it again from a new perspective later on. But I don't need a mirror to know how I look. OMG. September 29, 2021. The cat is a litmus test, isnt it? Ward laughs. What a boring slog. All the evidence is there in the beginning. He's unemployed, drinks a lot, and suffers from a few undiagnosed mental health problems. But I just could not get into this book. It gives hope that people with this disorder can find their path in life even if its not an easy one. Its an echo [in this story] because its such a landmark in my landscape of fear.. I kept reading because of the amazing reviews. Ted`s mother was reponsible for the child disapearances over the years, so no, it wasn`t coincidental. After reading some of the other reviews, I can tell I am in the minority here and that is ok. It is only outside the last house on Needless Street that Ted finds occasional respite. 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. But that was one twist I didnt quite see coming the mother being the psychopath, I mean. Could you all raise your hand if the first thought after finishing this book was something like: Conflicted by this one. Ward uses unreliable narrators extremely well. 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. That might sound confusing, but it's all part of the dark, strange world Ward created for this unsettling story, and it all makes sense. Just finished the bookagreed 100%. Once I found out about Olivia though, I did start to think that Lauren was an alter as well. LOL. What kind of parent says they dont love their child? SHOW SPOILERS Change). I loved Rawblood. It hangs like it has been strapped there. Bee houses, bat houses, and bird feeders are set up. But in the grand scheme of things, I found this book a bit underwhelming. This absolutely horrifies me because what kind of world do we live in where someone can walk up to a woman in a group of friends, introduce himself by his name, and take her away and kill her in broad daylight? she continues. 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, Lauren, and his cat, Olivia. 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 . 05/04/2021 15:11. I thought this book was so cleverly written, with the hints towards DID masquerading as hints that Lauren was Lulu. Because in my opinion, this is not even close to a gothic thriller. 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. ISBN: 9781788166188. Overall, The Last House on Needless Street is a thought-provoking novel, with some chilling elements, placing mental illness into the focus in a different way which is refreshing managing to stay with you for a long time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. However, I seem to have completely lost grip on the story when it comes to the Chihuahua woman. This is a great example of the skill of showing and not telling. Time is iffy and everyone is erratic. It releases on September 28th! Today, we're delighted to share this Q&A our . Perhaps the difference in myself and the disgruntled is that I usually figure out the twist or the plot or the aha moment in everything I watch or read, so having my suspicions confirmed in this case didnt bother me at all. The Last House on Needless Street has been called a horror novel or a gothic thriller. Needless to say, more tears were shed that day while the three Orimura siblings cried their eyes out when they sat together. '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. They all had their more or less deserved ending I say more or less because I just cant make my mind up about Dees fate. Ms Hayter told of her mother's 'senseless and needless death lying in the road without those who loved her'. And Olivia is Ted's cat, with a mind all her own. A twenty-year mystery. It was extremely obvious as well. It is pretty obvious that something isnt right in the house right off the bat. 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. Right, lets get to the spoilery bits. Do not miss this book.. 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. The Last House on Needless Street is more accurately comparable to 2016's surprise hit I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid. Baby snake bites Lulu who falls and hits head against rock. That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. Revenge. Anyway, not long after my friend confided in me our contact quite abruptly ended. And, as the story progresses, certain moments reinforce those assumptions. 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. Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2021. 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. 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. 1,051 reviews 2,628 followers. 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. 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. I dont know. . A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time.