And yet they are all lies. "The new face of literary dark fiction." Revenge. Dee moves into the vacant house next door to Ted and begins to spy on him, convinced that not only was Ted responsible for abducting Lulu, but that Lulu is still alive and being held inside Teds house. How would the story be different if they were just friends? And I also really wanna meet Olivia the cat. Could it have been better? And speaking of Olivia, what a unique character! 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 am excited for this one, also. The house itself, although not haunted like I first expected, also acts as another character, releasing shuddering movements at particular times that only the cat can recognize. But Im sorry to say that as a story, The Last House didnt work for me more than it did. Firstly, when I started reading The Last House on Needless Street, I expected a bone-chilling horror and prepared myself for some gore. Although this book is fiction, the terrible things it describes most certainly do go on in the world, are probably happening as I type this, and that level of awareness began to overwhelm me as I considered the extent of human suffering that others endure. Dee has never been the same since her sister went missing on a family holiday. By using The StoryGraph, you agree to our use of cookies.We use a small number of cookies to provide you with a great experience. Overall, this was an excellent story, masterfully constructed and executed, and creepy as hell. It sounds so good!!!! Thats where youre wrong. I certainly didnt, which I guess makes me the perfect reader! Its 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, its not a spoiler for me to say that there arent any clowns hanging around in storm drains), but Ill do my best. Dies ist die Geschichte von Ted, der mit seiner Tochter Lauren und der Katze Olivia in einem gewOhn This is one of the books Ive most been looking forward to and your fabulous review has me even more excited! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This is a book thats oppressive and disturbing, sometimes nearly overwhelming in its sadness, but one that comes from a place of real humanity and caring. When we then switch into kitten Olivias viewpoint its a jarring change. Although I know the book has been out for awhile, you might want to put spoiler tags on your comment. You'll have to update us on if Sundial is as good! It's a true nerve-shredder that keeps its The book is I had no idea what would transpire at the end and when it did WOW! Ward does a great job of creating an ominous atmosphere, especially surrounding Ted, his house, and Olivia and Lauren. Am I getting too big picture here? [5], Ward lives in London and Devon.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. A gut-punch of a novel about a Cherokee child removed from her family and sent to a Christian boarding school in the 1950s. Dees journey was surprisingly nightmarishwe learn she is afraid of snakes for exampleand I thought her character added a nice dimension to the story. Was there one perspective that you connected with more than the other? Would you walk over to his house, all by yourself, knock on the front door, make friendly conversation? And yet To avoid spoilers, Im only giving you the basic set up and will avoid talking about the plot too much. Catriona Ward is no stranger to gothic fiction. Time is not always linear in this story, so flashbacks of Dee and Teds childhood interrupt the suspenseful present-day plotline, while other times its unclear whether someone is recalling a memory or creating one. The characters yes, a talking cat is one of the primary narrators. This was the first novel Ive ever read by Ward and her style of writing is absolutely fantastic. Why or why not? 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." Submitted by users as part of their reviews. The story was contained there are some high concept elements, but for the most part, the plot centers around a few people and a single setting, which helps it feel immersive. He seems to be obsessed with his dead mother, who he refers to as Mommy. Even more unsettling is his relationship with his daughter, Lauren. So basically, in the first fifty pages or so. Ted frequently loses time, and what appear to be occasional inconsistencies and contradictions between the different narrators may frustrate at first, but gradually the clues begin to emerge and the puzzle pieces fall into place, revealing a chilling picture. My hold for this book just came in yesterday! Catriona Wards The Last House on Needless Street arrived in 2021 riding a wave of pre-release hype the likes of which I dont think Ive seen since Justin Cronin released The Passage ten years ago. Winston also sings a few verses from "I'll Fly Away" to Ellie on the first night they meet in the tree house on page 277. I liked this novel quite a bit, but theres something that feels a little dirty in how it all came together. haha. WebListen to "Das letzte Haus in der Needless Street Thriller" by Catriona Ward available from Rakuten Kobo. Look for a review on the blog later this week! We earn commission on any purchases made. Its a form of mental illness that is still not well understood, but has been featured so often as a device in horror stories and thrillers that its more or less become cliche. The Last House on Needless Street is surrounded by buzz and gushing blurbs from big name authors, and in my opinion all of it is well deserved. Its another way to show how unreliable. Is Ellie lonely in California? For Kayla, her house is a constant reminder of the loss of her husband and the life they could have shared there. A Book Blog for Speculative Fiction, Graphic Novels and more! Lets discuss your favorite reads or listens. Agree on the ending but I'd have trouble wrapping up that story too if I were the author. Revenge. Thanks Sarah! From Teds first person narrative, we get the impression that hes dealing with quite a few issues, although its not clear exactly what those issues are. The very subject matter of parental abuse and the destructive traumas that children of abusers can carry into adulthood is alone enough to be triggering to a great many readers. And then there is Mommy, Teds mother, a beautiful but slightly sinister figure, who we gather is no longer around but whose presence nevertheless looms over everything like the spider at the heart of a web. Here it does. Why I Read It: #Bookstagram made me do it. Some cheap tricks to help spice up a plodding story that mostly amounted to characters sitting and waiting and watching. Do you believe this could have been true? Carolyn is a librarian and book addict with an MA in Creative Writing with aspirations to one day be a published author. View all posts by Roxanne Michelle. All Rights Reserved. Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. 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. Right away we see that things arent quite right with Ted. A stolen child. Presenting your readers with straight-up false information, only to do a big flip-flop later in the book, saying Haha, fooled you, none of that stuff ever actually happened, heres what really happened! feels less like good storytelling and more like story-trolling. She built up the setting well, characters that are relatable, and makes it so once this ride was over, youll be completely blown away once you start to put all the pieces together. Lying narrators aside, the scarf nonsense alone would have soured me on Wards story. Language English. BookBrowse LLC 1997-2023. Which is more important to the Hockley family? I have been meaning to get this book for ages. When hes at home, he enjoys watching monster truck shows, looking after Olivia, and he eagerly anticipates visits from Lauren (whom Olivia hates), even though she tends to misbehave very badly before she goes away. Ted also mentions that sometimes he goes away, and hes not sure what happens when he does. I love/hate it when authors pulls the rug out from under you and leaving you shocked. Im probably like you in that I would also start to think about how such things really do occur/are occurring in the world and that makes this type of book one Im far less likely to want to read. You think youve read this story before. All these things are true. What is the significance of what happens to each house at the end of the novel? If you liked this, youll enjoy Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. Ted lives alone in his childhood home with his cat, Olivia. How does this influence the relationship they're able to create? Has this statement ever rung true in your life? I have to admit I was confused for quite a long time, but Ward does bury clues within her tale, and astute readersor even readers who are well versed in thrillers. Pages and Tea recently postedBook Review: Later by Stephen King. Discuss what that means in the context of this story. Just the idea of the cat POV has me super curious!!! I read one other review of this book and put the audio version on hold. Im glad you kept this spoiler-free. the characters are, since they never seem to agree on what they see or experience. Recently hes been dating and its not gone too well, so hes been extra stressed. Shes there to make his life better, to make him smile when hes sad and calm him when hes stressed. --Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes The buzzis real. Bestsellers rank 30,480. And that is the beauty of this storygetting to the truth is a circuitous and uneven path, one I never grew tired of. If you read it for its mood, for its sense of dread, if you enjoy being surprised and you dont care to think too closely about the choices the writer is making and why theyre making them, then yes, The Last House on Needless Street is a novel that can have a profound emotional impact. Search String: Summary| Definitely my favorite thing about the snow! What is the role of music for the civil rights activists? Olivia is Teds cat. His only companion is a cat named Olivia, who has her own chapters in which she is the first-person viewpoint narrator, suggesting that Olivia is either a very special cat indeed or maybe not a cat at all. 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. Narrated by Matthias Hofer. Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of St. Martin's Griffin. It doesn't matter if you're into Stephen King, Octavia Butler, Jack Ketchum or Shirley Jackson, this is the place to share that love and discuss to your heart's content. Is the cat one of the narrators? They withhold information from the reader, from each other, and even from themselves, the mutability of memoryespecially in regard to traumabeing a key theme. Revenge. Why does the bug manTeds therapistseem so sinister? Start a free 30-day trial today and get your first audiobook free. Synopsis: A communitys past sins rise to the surface when two women, a generation apart, find themselves bound by tragedy and an unsolved, decades-old mystery. While this helped explain many of the scenarios presented, I often struggle with plot points that hinge on mental illness because it often portrays the character as a victim or villain. $15 for 3 months. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. He found her after her mother and siblings all passed away one stormy night. Hes not a complete shut-in. I'll probably re-read this come October or something. Author At the half way point I couldn't justify spending any more time with it and refunded it. Lulus guilt-ridden older sister Dee has been on a mission to find the little girls killer. For Ellie, her house is a reminder of her tragic loss and familial betrayal. The main story takes place eleven years after a six-year old girl named Lulu went missing down by the lake. I was really disappointed in it. Ive seen this everywhere lately, definitely going to have to pick it up! A stolen child. This is one of my favorite story devices and it works so well here. I just finished this book the other day - so fun to see someone else has read it so recently too! I spent the rest of the story waiting for what seemed to be obvious to be revealed. Who do you believe feels the most guilt? In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. And its here that Ward just stops playing fair with her readers. Glad you loved it as much as I did :-). // Lets Talk Bookish. This is the story of a serial killer. 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. It felt long at times there are some vague situations at the beginning and none of the characters come across as likable except Olivia, the Bible loving queer cat which made me wonder if the ride was worth it. So, sure enough, we learn that Dee has shall we say some sordid history of her own. The cat is one of the narrators yes. Im not generally someone who reads horror, as I tend to suffer from nightmares, but this review sounds really tempting. He knows this, because he buried them there himself. [4] Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendishs The Imaginarium Productions has optioned film rights to the book. Known to most as Little Girl with Popsicle, her sister Lulu disappeared and was never seen again. 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 from the moment I started. Im usually unable to figure things out so perhaps Im also the perfect reader. Olivia is the fly on the wall but an unreliable spy at best, since she talks only of her own interests. Recommended for spooky season, but reader beware! Ward initially worked as an actor based in New York. Ward takes a well-worn horror device and portrays it in a way thats much more sympathetic, less superficial, but without making it any less scary (because the survival itself and the things survived are pretty horrific). How does this impact each of them? WebThe last book I can think of that I finished (that probably wasnt worth the effort of finishing) was The Last House on Needless Street. 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