It used Dissociative Identity Disorder as a plot point. 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. Recent threadmarks Harry Leferts Omake: Harry gives Regina a hand ijnfleetadmiral Omake: Lucius' reacts to Draco's girlfriends still_guns Omake: Ellswood P1. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Olivia, the cat, has her own chapters and it is a little startling at first to view the world from the vantage point of a cat. I gave a single nod. Shes honed in on Ted and is determined to find out what became of her sister. Kayla and Ellie both suffer the loss of the man they love. Dee chases Ted through the woods thinking that he has Lauren in a bag and is going to kill her, but is bit by a snake. Ted is an odd sort of a fellow. You think you've read this story before. But I kept going because I was confused and felt that I might still be right. 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 . Big, fat. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Ive been looking for a good opportunity to get to read this book, and the Ladies of Horror Fiction Readalong seemed like the perfect reason to jump The Last House on Needless Street on the top of my TBR. Thanks! A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to . Revenge. And while Im in the minority who didnt fall in love with Wards prose, story, or characters, I can see why others did. Sandra's b-day episode! Could you all raise your hand if the first thought after finishing this book was something like: Conflicted by this one. Pretty clear, right? Everything in The Last House on Needless Street is old, dirty, or broken. Around halfway, I think things start to fall apart fast. Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Her fear of snakes is not based on a false memory, the snakes slithered out from beneath Lulu when Dee tried to move her. An unspeakable secret binds them . I opted for the audiobook, and I have to say, Christopher Raglands narration is absolutely top-notch. There are also a lot of clues and hints sprinkled throughout which makes it a bit too easy to guess the twists. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona WardPublished September 28th 2021 by NightfireDate read: May 9, 2021, Ted, who lives on Needless St.Dee, whose sister disappeared nearby as a child. I wanted to read this book and be shocked, so I ignored other reviews and didnt even read the synopsis. Its an echo [in this story] because its such a landmark in my landscape of fear.. 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 . Hear noises at chasingthesky.bandcamp.com. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Author), Christopher Ragland (Narrator) Eleven years ago Dee and her six year old sister visit a lake with their parents. 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. 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. It sounds trite but this is story-telling at it's finest. It was obvious the cat was an alt personality. Im a sucker for these kinds of stories where the story unravels piece by piece! 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 . Yeah, the mom buried Lulu in the neighbor's yard when the neighbor went on vacation. 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 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. Revenge. 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. What cat understands English and speaks in slang? Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street arrived in 2021 riding a wave of pre-release hype the likes of which I don't think I've seen since Justin Cronin released The Passage ten years ago. I felt that this book could have gone in a different direction or at least have the ending executed in a different way. The Last House on Needless Street moves away from the historical to the contemporary gothic, but deserves just as much praise and attention. Time is iffy and everyone is erratic. (LogOut/ As for Dee, while I didnt have any feelings for her, Im not 100% sure she deserved to die as she did. 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 lives in his childhood home with his daughter Lauren and his cat, Olivia. Timy reviews The Last House on Needless Street, Catriona Wards Horror novel, published by Viper. 7. I just loved the ride. Truth will out, or will it? Death. First, there's the stunning transformation as the film shifts from . You made it to the end, which is further than I did. DAS LETZTE HAUS in der Needless Street, Catriona Ward - EUR 22,99. 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 was concerned when I realized this wasn't pure thriller from the get-go. And that I draw the line somewhere between grimdark and horror? *, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Author), Christopher Ragland (Narrator). It started off with a strong atmosphere and intriguing set up. PAGES: 352pg. (LogOut/ Okay, Im making quick connection: not only to add to your list, please read it! Tanya H. said "I don't know why they've got so many bad reviews but our experience was great! Honestly I don't get angry about figuring out what's going on in a story because to me that means the writing is good and has enough clues that someone who's paying attention could reasonably figure it out. The Last House on Needless Street is another critical darling that employs what is arguably the most tired trope in horror, all while telling a pseudo-empathetic story that portrays a demonized community as. To me, everything is as it seems. OMG. 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). Required fields are marked *. At the end of the street are the eerie Woods where the gods are buried. An unspeakable secret binds them together, but when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees may come . 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. You think youve read this story before. I hope its [really] about survival and hope as much as it is about suffering. My Godreally? 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. I think everything I read for the rest of this year will pale in comparison. One particular line in chapter 1 made me guess the first twist, and from then on, the rest was easy to figure out. ONLY 3 for my enjoyment level of the story. 'The Last House on Needless Street' is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. All these things are true. Dee goes into the woods to have a bit of fun with the boy, tells Lulu to stay by the lake. Today, we're delighted to share this Q&A our . A space to share book reviews and other book related treats. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Ted lives in the last house on Needless Street. Dee was looking for Lulus body but had lied so convincingly over the years that she herself believed Lulu was still alive. 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. Eleven years ago, Lulu, a six year old girl, disappeared from the nearby lake. and our 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. There was really no other way the book could have gone. long-awaited, Stephen King seal of approval-bearing, and impossible to review without spoilers -- Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal I read this in 1.5 nail-biting days. The Last House On Needless Street is the latest work from award-winning horror author, Catriona Ward. 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.. 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. Please only click on the spoiler tag if you already read the book or have no intention of reading it. 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. A twenty-year mystery. Death. 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. Snakes were her one true fear because they slithered out from under Lulus body when she found it. And, as the story progresses, certain moments reinforce those assumptions. 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. He's unemployed and drinks a lot. When a woman named Dee moves into the abandoned house next door while on a quest to find her sister, who was kidnapped years ago, Ted's life begins to spiral into chaos. This book is wearing the disguise of horror. The determined and watchful Dee takes up residence next to Ted's dilapidated home, intent on locating Lulu, convinced of Ted's involvement. The Last House on Needless Street has been called a horror novel or a gothic thriller. The reader has to hunt them out, reflect on what theyve already read to find out where the story is going to take us. Your perceptions change every instant and quite often no two people remember the same event the same way. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. You just dont, Ward says. What Im trying to say here is I have no idea what Im trying to say. The Den of Geek quarterly magazine is packed with exclusive features, interviews, previews and deep dives into geek culture. (LogOut/ Number of pages: 400. Which is disappointing, because I had high expectations going in based on the recommendations of people whose taste I trust in. It releases on September 28th! This is probably the best-executed book I have read so far this year. The Last House on Needless Street has been called a horror novel or a gothic thriller. But then, its a bit of a grey area and it all really depends on your POV how you see her. I am overwhelmed. Twice in the same day. There are all these oppositions in place. 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. 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. #whathaveidone #booksfordays #whoops, Herbs have been planted. 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. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Your thoughts are echoed in a very good review by Wayward Magazine. I listened to this book and I'm glad that I was forced to stay with the pacing of the novel. The perspectives switch between Ted, the sister of the abducted child, and that of Teds cat. But Ill talk about this a bit more in depth in the spoilers section after the review itself. I'm getting bigger all the time. Its inhabitants include a man who drinks a lot, an angry teenage girl who isn't allowed out, and a religious cat. The reader plays detective the whole time trying to piece together what is reliable and what is not, Ward says. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. *** 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 usually try to keep my reviews as spoiler-free as I can, but Im going to have an exception here. Their remains were found on a neighboring hillside two months later, in such a state of decay that the local forensics team were driven to test the feces of local animals to help identify them. Cookie Notice The Last of Us 2 Leaked Plot Confirmed by Naughty Dog, Dune: Part Two Should Expand the Role of Zendayas Chani, Street Fighter V: Champion Edition Review, Shazam! After reading some of the other reviews, I can tell I am in the minority here and that is ok. It's 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, it's not a spoiler for me to say . What a waste of time. The Last House on Needless Street is published on 18 March (Profile, 12.99). Couple of things you got wrong. Their palpable burning desire for one another has carried fans through two seasons packed with . The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward | 9781788166164,Buy new & second-hand (used) books online with Free UK Delivery at AwesomeBooks.com Sometimes you just want to say read it, and then talk to me about it, and leave your review at that. Ted lives alone in his childhood home with his cat, Olivia. . Wearing a cast on his arm, Bundy asked the women for help. 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. The story starts to kick in beyond this, grips you and never lets up. I wasnt surprised, in hindsight, but still. It was extremely obvious as well. Everything from the gripping plot twists that no one sees coming, to the intricacy of the characters that readers are coming to love. 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 I don't need a mirror to know how I look. I was given an advance reader copy of The Last House on Needless Street by award winning author Catriona Ward by Tor's new horror imprint, Nightfire.The book already had buzz from Stephen King saying that he hadn't "read anything this exciting since Gone Girl" and a blurb from Paul . But that plotlines closure felt a bitforced? 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. Book spoilers to jog your memory. THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET blew me away. This is the story of a serial killer. Dee finds herself focused on Ted as the possible kidnapper. I'm not used to how much space I take up in the world. While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. Sure, she had a responsibility in the fate of her sister dragging her along, then leaving her alone to play by the river, then running away once she thought she was dead and the snakes were coming but Im not convinced she was a bad person up to that point or that she deserved punishment. 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. Accepting that things didnt quite make sense but knowing it would come together. I no longer need to think of you as my son. That was my first encounter with this particular mental disorder so I had no understanding of what it really meant. His mother apparently used to experiment on him surgically, which caused his scars and is what her tapes were about.Teds therapist was also abusing him and making his condition worse. I guessed the twist very early on so kind of disappointed in that respect. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on . Thats where youre wrong.In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. All rights reserved. And Olivia is Ted's cat, with a mind all her own. I kept reading because of the amazing reviews. It was different and kept me interested and may I even say, Im slightly SHOOK. This is a place to discuss horror literature. I know thats tough to do as you want to read everyones reviews and see if the plot is a good fit. And yet some of them are lies. While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. The Plot (from Goodreads): Three missing girls. A stolen child. And Ive been thinking a lot. As soon as you crack open Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street, you know something's very wrong. Put it on the ground right there.". The Last House on Needless Street is out September 28th. Wayward Magazine features veteran entertainment journalism staff covering new releases in horror and horror-adjacent fiction (mostly books). Rarely do I struggle to find words about a book that I loved, but I find myself in that position right now. The second time I tried, you came out of my mind'" but the experience is unlike anything else out there, and that makes it a must-read for those who like the kind of labyrinthine narratives that pull the rug out from under you, sending you tumbling into a dark, dark room. 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. What I got was a distorted story that used mental illness as its major plot point. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. You dont get to know everything about everyone. Follow Queen's Book Asylum on WordPress.com. Horror books; Fiction; However, upon finishing the book, I appreciate how the author didnt make Ted the villain of the story after all even if it seemed like it for a long time and that she showed how Teds life was improved with the right medication, professional help, and genuine friendship maybe even love. SHOW SPOILERS The best way to go into this book is completely blind to any information about it. I didn't find it horrifying or terrifying, though it is thrilling to read. Once I figure that out, I started to get uncomfortable and grew uneasy. Ted Bannerman lives alone with his cat Olivia in a dilapidated, boarded up house at the end of a cul-de-sac. Viper, 12.99, pp352. Topics. Ted lives on Needless Street. A stolen child. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. In [], The Plot (from Goodreads): Romance-novel connoisseur Tara Chen has had her heart broken ten times by ten different menall of whom dumped [], The Plot (from Goodreads): Carla Blacks life motto is here for a good time, not for a long time. Shes been travelling [], The Plot (from Goodreads): Alex has all but given up on her dreams of becoming a published author when she receives a [], Your email address will not be published. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. The conclusion is somehow so predictable, while also being entirely chaotic in its execution. Dee leaves Lulu there to die but Ted's mum finds her first (she thinks Lulu is a boy because of the short hair) and subjects her to abuse, then buries the body at neighbours house.