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 . As for Dee, while I didnt have any feelings for her, Im not 100% sure she deserved to die as she did. I got a free e-copy through NetGalley about a week ago. LOL. "The Last House on Needless Street" has had rave reviews all round and I was a little apprehensive in case it didn't live up the hype but, my god, I didn't need to worry! Press J to jump to the feed. So we could provide even more entertainment for you! Part horror story, part mystery thriller, and part tragedy, the book subverts a lot of expectations about what a genre story should be and do, unpacking a complex emotional narrative in the midst of a menacing tale of fear, uncertainty, and constantly escalating dread. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Her fear of snakes is not based on a false memory, the snakes slithered out from beneath Lulu when Dee tried to move her. Then as the story progressed, I started thinking of DID until it got confirmed that DID indeed got the drivers seat in the story. I enjoyed the switching POVs initially, as I was just trying to piece things together, before anything had been confirmed. I wanted a horror story. To comply with FTC guidelines, I receive no compensation for the reviews or promotional content posted. Dee goes into the woods to have a bit of fun with the boy, tells Lulu to stay by the lake. 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. Inquiries to kay@kreisaumedia.com. This book is the exact reason why I rarely read reviews before picking up a book. The determined and watchful Dee takes up residence next to Ted's dilapidated home, intent on locating Lulu, convinced of Ted's involvement. I opted for the audiobook, and I have to say, Christopher Raglands narration is absolutely top-notch. Five-star audio production, and five-star book. Don't even open Sundial then. Put it on the ground right there.". I loved every moment of it and Im keeping the book so I can read it again from a new perspective later on. Copyright 2020 by Bookends. Horror books; Fiction; 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. 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. 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. You just dont, Ward says. Cookie Notice What's worse, she adds the further cliche of repressed memories/unreliable narrator to the protagonist in order to further obfuscate the narrative. Truth will out, or will it? All these things are true. The Last House on Needless Street is more accurately comparable to 2016's surprise hit I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid. (LogOut/ Really good summing up of the book's flaws here: https://medium.com/wayward-magazine/im-so-mad-about-the-last-house-on-needless-street-57a2f9b16f88. The Last House on Needless Street is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. I can see how people enjoyed the writing. Their palpable burning desire for one another has carried fans through two seasons packed with . It sure left me with thoughts. It is impossible to write a meaningful analysis of The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Viper, 2021) without . Ted stayed inside in his own mind whenever his mother was in a bad mood. The last twist was that Teds mother was the one who took Lulus body for more of her medical experiments. Her writing has been featured in Paste Magazine, Collider,. When she turned into her street, she looked at the house that she had earned. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. I heard a few people describe this book as a gothic thrillerso I was in! 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. Topics. Required fields are marked *. Almost time to get my garden going. Dee didn`t kill her own sister, it was accidental and she panicked and ran off only to realize she wasn`t dead. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. But that was one twist I didnt quite see coming the mother being the psychopath, I mean. Lacy Baugher is a digital producer by day, but a television enthusiast pretty much all the time. Change). 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. I dont know, I felt like all those big reveals thrown at us in the last parts were too muchI mean come on, too much going on with such a narrow character list. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. All original content on this site belongs to the author. Dee finds herself focused on Ted as the possible kidnapper. Revenge. The cat chapters were a little kooky (who knew cats could be religious! I read the reviews after the fact, and the fact that this book is about DID is totally spoiled. The cat is a litmus test, isnt it? Ward laughs. First person narrators for me are a much more realistic way of presenting the world than an omniscient, Godlike creator. That's where you're wrong. Whilst I had my suspicions fairly early on about what was going on, I still enjoyed every second of it. 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. 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. Shes honed in on Ted and is determined to find out what became of her sister. You think you've read this story before. Time is iffy and everyone is erratic. ), but such a creative way to describe Ted from another point of view. *, The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward (Author), Christopher Ragland (Narrator). At the end of the street are the eerie Woods where the gods are buried. 'The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. It hangs like it has been strapped there. His mother knew what he was at an early age after finding him killing an animal, and her words in that moment never left him: "For a long time, I have feared that this was in you. "The Wizard of Oz" (Victor Fleming, 1939) As iconic musicals go, "The Wizard of Oz" nearly takes the cake. Or watch movies for that matter. Those that Ted interacts with are christened with Ted names such as bug man his therapist and Chihuahua lady, one of his neighbours. It releases on September 28th! There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on . 3 of which have their POV chapters: Ted, Olivia, and Dee. Recent threadmarks Harry Leferts Omake: Harry gives Regina a hand ijnfleetadmiral Omake: Lucius' reacts to Draco's girlfriends still_guns Omake: Ellswood P1. His daughter Lauren visits occasionally. Bee houses, bat houses, and bird feeders are set up. It gives hope that people with this disorder can find their path in life even if its not an easy one. You dont get to know everything about everyone. 1,051 reviews 2,628 followers. An unspeakable secret binds them . 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. Deftly written, intricate, absorbing, The Last House on Needless Street draws the reader into its web. 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. There are also a lot of clues and hints sprinkled throughout which makes it a bit too easy to guess the twists. Big, fat. Regardless if you . But now that I have finished reading the book, my question isdo people know what a gothic thriller is? Get help and learn more about the design. Ted was a person of interest in the disappearance and now she is determined to find her sister or find the person responsible. Im not sure I make any sense, so lets move on. First we find out that Olivia is one of Laurens alters, created to hide from the pain that Ted was causing her. 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 . If you watch a lot movies or read a lot of books not much comes off as a surprise. I loved the story, but the audio production made it ten times better. 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. I had figured out what was happening and what had happened about half way through the story but this didnt spoil the story, in fact it made me somewhat more invested as I raced to see how it would all manifest. And I won't even start with the talking cat. Thats where youre wrong.In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something 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 . I could hardly bear to let go of her, even for a moment. 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. This is something that has made its way into my psychology and my imagination, Ward says. All these things are true. I knew Ted was innocent, but I didnt guess the DID storyline. This is so well written! 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 . I was immediately drawn into the story, intrigued by Ted with his idiosyncrasies and strange way of living. This is the story of a serial killer. First, there's the stunning transformation as the film shifts from . Publishing Info: Tor Nightfire, September 2021. Both novels are critical darlings & both are horror-adjacent . 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. 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. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. 18 March 2021. Weight: 340 g. Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 34 mm. Everything was obvious to me from the get-go. It used Dissociative Identity Disorder as a plot point. Again, I dont even know if this book is horror, Ward admits ruefully. Regardless if you liked the book or not. For Ward, part of writing Needless Street necessarily involved processing heartbreaking and often quite upsetting things. It sounds trite but this is story-telling at its finest. There are all these oppositions in place. 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. Possible Spoilers Ahead. While Im talking about spoilers, one of the most chilling things about this book was how the mother treated Ted. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. I knock things over, I bounce off doorways. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. A twenty-year mystery. Ward is a talented storyteller, and she shows that here. (LogOut/ Once I figure that out, I started to get uncomfortable and grew uneasy. Sex/Life season 2 spoilers follow. There are a limited number of characters who are given names. It did not feel unpredictable to me. Thanks! It was different and kept me interested and may I even say, Im slightly SHOOK. That was a decision, Ward says. I was concerned when I realized this wasn't pure thriller from the get-go. Thats not to say I cant appreciate a great thriller or mystery I like watching true crime shows for instance. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. He doesnt have friends and he cant quite get free of his mothers influence over him even though shes been long gone. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Thats not to say I didnt get caught by surprise here or there, though. Just in time for October's spooky reading season. Tanya H. said "I don't know why they've got so many bad reviews but our experience was great! What Im trying to say here is I have no idea what Im trying to say. . 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. 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.. What cat understands English and speaks in slang? I really liked Little Eve.