I probably shouldnt have read it though before trying to write mine. In chapter 2, Ellie says "There are moments in life when you suddenly see your future and it's not at all what you expected." , Ha ha you will probably be as surprised as I was if you read it:-). Ted and Laurens voices are childlike, Lauren because she is a child; Ted, it becomes apparent, due to serious emotional and psychological trauma. In what ways does it not impact them? Reading Guide| A fantastic readathon running this year, check it out here:The 2021 SFF Badge Collection, Dramatic, curly-haired wannabe writer from a nowhere town in Somerset. A stolen child. Book cover artwork is copyrighted by its respective artist and/or publisher. Once I acknowledged this discomfort and moved on, I found I could read my way through this book and enjoy the fact that its an incredibly brilliant story, twisted in such surprising ways that I was always eager to turn the page and find the answers that inevitably eluded me until the very end. I've never heard that phrase "not to yuck anyone's yum" as that's the quote of the day! The cat is one of the narrators yes. This is a psychological horror story that leads you to believe certain things, but then pulls the rug out from under you late in the story. 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. I can hardly wait to read Catriona Wards next book! hah. I spent the rest of the story waiting for what seemed to be obvious to be revealed. From the outside, she appears to be a woman who is still mourning her sister, and now that she seems to have proof that Ted might have been involved, shes filled with rage and a thirst for revenge. Here to talk books, film, mental health and lifestyle. Lulu was never found, nor was her body, so to this day her disappearance remains a mystery. be able to figure things out. Lulu was never found, nor was her body, so to this day her disappearance remains a mystery. The final act theres a bait and switch that felt organic and not for shock value. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. If this was a movie, Id watch it again for clues, but Im not that interested in doing it here. This is a place to discuss horror literature. Revenge. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Also yes, I tasted one and they are delicious, This book was simply exquisite. Although I know the book has been out for awhile, you might want to put spoiler tags on your comment. Thats where youre wrong. Plot Summary. Ted is of course an unreliable narrator, as is the bible-reading Olivia, so its difficult to believe much of anything being described. Recommended for spooky season, but reader beware! Edition Statement Main. The reveal at the end was sort of mind-blowing, and I loved the authors Afterword where she gives some background on how the story came to be. From literary classics to sci-fi graphic novels, I love it all. Jan 2023, 368 pages, Book Reviewed by:Jane McCormack It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. Genres & Themes| Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy. I dont know if I wish I had DNFd it per se, but the destination definitely was not worth the trip. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. I honestly didnt even catch the plot point about the sister because I stopped paying attention during the final act. Teds infrequent trips to the bug doctor give us a little extra insight into his personality and a few ideas of important events. Like putting a hat on a hat. Both Ted and Dee are an absolute wreckage. Frustrated with the lack of results from the police, she has zeroed in on Ted as the prime suspect. Title Once you realize misdirection is the entire goal here, its no longer misdirection, its just a book believing that its smarter than its readers. Ellie frequently leads her fellow SCOPE volunteers and supporters in song during protests. At the half way point I couldn't justify spending any more time with it and refunded it. These little bits of information eventually reveal what actually happenedor do they? Olivia is such an interesting character. 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There are a few elements of the plot that build suspense; not knowing what happened that day that Lulu disappeared, how much of Teds ramblings we can truly believe, Dees vigilante efforts, and the remarkably creepy yet vague memories of Teds life with his parents. 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. The fact that Catriona has crafted characters that you can be scared of and feel sorry for at the same time is incredible. All Rights Reserved. Olivia is in love with an outdoor cat that strolls by the window peephole, and she has an odd relationship with another cat named Night-time. Then there is Dee, who is also shrouded in mystery. The main story takes place eleven years after a six-year old girl named Lulu went missing down by the lake. And yet they are all lies You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. This is a fabulous review! Olivia is Teds cat. Often when I see those declarations, my initial thought is marketing malarkey because how many original ideas are there really these days? Now Im more excited than EVER to read this!!! A stolen child. Ted is a middle-aged, jobless man who lives by himself in the house he grew up in as a child. It is central to the appeal of a mystery, being led down blind alleys in the hope that youre a clever enough detective to piece together the puzzle. Ward read English at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. When you tell someone about a book youre reading you dont Why or why not? I love surprises like this if theyre handled well:-), Wow, Tammy. Ted knows he isnt well, and he sees a therapist he calls the bug man, but the guy is just a quack who only cares about the book he claims to be writing. Jan 2022, 352 pages And I also really wanna meet Olivia the cat. 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 isnt allowed outside, not after last time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible. Why does the bug manTeds therapistseem so sinister? [1] Ward won the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel in 2016 at the British Fantasy Awards for Rawblood and again in 2018 for Little Eve, making her the first woman to win the prize twice. Im usually unable to figure things out so perhaps Im also the perfect reader. Faking evidence of a crime like that is a pretty dumb cheat for any mystery writer to pull. I love/hate it when authors pulls the rug out from under you and leaving you shocked. He lives in the last house on Needless Street, right next to the woods. If youve read the novel, you understand that mental illness is the central plot. I love when I can read a book and I truly not know the direction that it will take. To know too much going in would have ruined the reading experience for me. You might have a chapter from Olivias point of view and what shes observing from inside the house, and the next chapter might shift to Dee, who is in the house next door, watching the same event unfold. Experience is not what happens to you; it's what you do with what happens to you. Ive seen this everywhere lately, definitely going to have to pick it up! So, sure enough, we learn that Dee has shall we say some sordid history of her own. A gut-punch of a novel about a Cherokee child removed from her family and sent to a Christian boarding school in the 1950s. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Would you look for excuses to extend your solitary visit with this possible pervert child murderer in his own house by asking things like Can I use the bathroom? and Could I have a drink of water? Would you spy on his movements and follow him, all by yourself, when you see him walking into the forest at night with a shovel? Sign up to get the download as well as an email sent once a month with links to my latest reviews, information on my online book club, and other bookish announcements. Oh yes, "Sundial" is on my TBR and I'll get to it soon I'm sure, she's an amazing writer! Click here to receive notifications of An Average Life new posts by email. Finally, this review will not be complete without some mention of the character of Teds late mother. Broadly, the novel follows Ted, a man living alone in his mid-30s, his daughter Lauren, his lesbian Bible-reading cat Olivia and a woman named Dee who lost 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 Dates read: January 27 February 2, 2022. Do you believe this could have been true? You think youve read this story before. Dramatic, curly-haired wannabe writer from a nowhere town in Somerset. But there is an area in the forest he considers sacred and inhabited by gods. The other device the author uses is that she shows the same events from two different perspectives. Publication City/Country United Kingdom. And there are even more mysteries to solve: who exactly is the Chihuahua Lady and how is she involved in all this? Even as someone that loves cats, I struggled with this fantasy element. 100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: All is not what it seems on Needless Street. I am excited for this one, also. Personally, I had Cameron Britton in my head as Ted. About a decade before the story opens, Ted was a person of interest in the disappearance of a four-year-old girl named Lulu, who was visiting the nearby lake with her parents and big sister Dee. I wont drop a massive spoiler and say what Teds condition is, but it shouldnt be too hard to figure out unless you yourself have been living in a boarded-up house all your life. This was my first book of the year but I sadly set it aside because I could tell my brain wasnt in the right mindset for it, but I am so glad you reviewed this book so well and I am excited to pick it up when the mood is right! They withhold information from the reader, from each other, and even from themselves, the mutability of memoryespecially in regard to traumabeing a key theme. Thats okay. EXCLUSIVE: Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish s Imaginarium Productions has optioned film rights to Catriona Ward s upcoming new novel The Last House on Needless Street. Viper will publish in the UK on March 18 and Tor Nightfire will publish in the U.S. in late September. Ward will executive produce alongside the Imaginarium. 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