The Last House on Needless Street is more accurately comparable to 2016's surprise hit I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Ian Reid. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this incredible audiobook. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. We then find out that Lauren is another alter of Teds, created when he was just a child, and that he gave all the pain of his mothers abuse to Lauren so that he didnt have to endure it. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. 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. I loved Ward's Rawblood a few years ago but The Last House on Needless Street is such a disappointment, just a cheap series of narrative cheats whose only purpose is to support the oldest and most cliched 'twist' ending in horror fictionwe are seriously supposed to believe that not only does the murder suspect have multiple personalities, but that the dominant one has a name coincidentally . Then the chapter titled `Dee` follows and is the most beautifully structured and emotional piece of writing I`ve read in awhile. Thriller/psychological twisty turner, I couldn't put it down and read it in two days straight. (LogOut/ I really liked Little Eve. If you dont, you may not., Especially since The Last House on Needless Street isnt the sort of horror story (or even quasi-horror story) that relies on gore or jump scares to terrify its readers. 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. That was my first encounter with this particular mental disorder so I had no understanding of what it really meant. 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 back to haunt them all. 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 . It sure left me with thoughts. I think what I wanted to do with this [story] was destabilize that a little bit.. The house is a prison and a sanctuary, a reliquary of agony and torment. 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 . Cookie Notice A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to . Some are more disturbing than others. 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. What kind of parent says they dont love their child? LOL. It sounds trite but this is story-telling at its finest. 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 . That was my first encounter with this particular mental disorder so I had no understanding of what it really meant. There . 'The buzz building around Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is real. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I was concerned when I realized this wasn't pure thriller from the get-go. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on . "Good," she said. Scan this QR code to download the app now. Those that Ted interacts with are christened with Ted names such as bug man his therapist and Chihuahua lady, one of his neighbours. Thanks for the great review! 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. The reader has to hunt them out, reflect on what theyve already read to find out where the story is going to take us. No longer must I search my heart for a love that I cannot feel." Overall, not a win for me. Ted lives in his childhood home with his daughter Lauren and his cat, Olivia. I wasnt surprised, in hindsight, but still. Your perceptions change every instant and quite often no two people remember the same event the same way. Again, I dont even know if this book is horror, Ward admits ruefully. Absolutely hated it and it was fucking confusing to follow. All rights reserved. So, just a heads up. What a boring slog. 'completely and cleverly manipulated,' is about right, tortuously and underhandedly. 'The Last House on Needless Street' is complex and multilayered, but more like a multiverse than an onion. If you're a fan of the dark and mysterious, this book will be for you. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.All these things are true. I thought long and hard because at first, I wasnt sure if portraying DID in a horror setting was something I was comfortable with. Once I figure that out, I started to get uncomfortable and grew uneasy. 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. Looking back from the end of the book, Im amazed at how well-executed this story was. I dont know. So therefore, I wont go into specifics on the book, just my thoughts on it overall. Just finished the bookagreed 100%. I find that it is a relief. The only reason I can write this stuff is because Im afraid of it. To me it is a tightly woven tale, full of tension and intrigue, with the truth just dangled tantalisingly out of reach. I am overwhelmed. (And the author herself is well aware of that fact. Snakes were her one true fear because they slithered out from under Lulus body when she found it. I did not think I would find such a perfect match in I Witnessed A Crime. Fury of the Gods Brings Back the "Shazamily": Inside DC's New Superhero Adventure, Scream 6's Brutal NYC Trip: "You Can't Trust Anyone" This Time, Cocaine Bear Is Not Just About a Killer "Coked-Up" Bear, It's Also an "Underdog Story", How Marvel's Wastelanders Podcast Created an Exciting Story with No Visual Safety Net, The Secrets That Lurk in The Last House on Needless Street. I listened to this book and I'm glad that I was forced to stay with the pacing of the novel. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. A stolen child. I cant believe this is all one narrator! spoiler I just finished it, I completely agree there was TOO much going on, I kind of figured where it was going with Ted, it was kind of obvious when they were at the mall with Lauren. Children have been going missing at a nearby lake for some time and a woman named Dee, whose sister disappeared there some years prior, has convinced herself that Ted had something to do with it. (LogOut/ I was going to wait until September to buy this when the US version is released, but all the hype is making me want to just buy the UK version so I can read it ASAP. Thank you, Catriona Ward, NetGalley, and Viper books for the opportunity to read this book. I loved Rawblood. Could you all raise your hand if the first thought after finishing this book was something like: Conflicted by this one. The ending is propulsive and shocking and definitely had me re-running prior scenes in my head to assist with putting the pieces together. There was really no other way the book could have gone. Full of twists and turns, sorrow and humanity. His daughter Lauren visits occasionally. Lauren isn't Lauren, and also suffers from severe dissociative identity disorder. . I hadn`t read anything about this book prior, just jumped straight in. 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. Margaret M - Hiatus - I will respond when I can. 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. 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. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. The Last House On Needless Street is the latest work from award-winning horror author, Catriona Ward. I just finished TLHONS and it was okay. I thought that was really important to make sure that [those things] come out, [that[ it has the light shining through the dark branches as it were.. 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. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. 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. That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. I can't keep track of it. Learn how your comment data is processed. Any book is up for discussion as long as that discussion is respectful. This is smart! Privacy Policy. . There is something odd going on in the boarded-up house at the end of Needless Street. Book Description: 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.. 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. And Olivia is Ted's cat, with a mind all her own. Firstly, this review is really hard to write in a spoiler free way but I am going to be extremely careful because you do need to go into it with no spoilers. How did that book end? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The books narrative counts on its readers to feel as though they know whats happening, that theyve already guessed the twists ahead of them. It was extremely obvious as well. 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. THE LAST HOUSE ON NEEDLESS STREET blew me away. (LogOut/ I loved Olivia! Get help and learn more about the design. He doesnt have friends and he cant quite get free of his mothers influence over him even though shes been long gone. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Wayward Magazine features veteran entertainment journalism staff covering new releases in horror and horror-adjacent fiction (mostly books). Lulu had followed Dee while she hit on Trevor, and while Dee and Trevor were fooling around, Lulu slipped on some rocks and hit her head and died.