One thing is for sure, nothing is as it seems.Actually, that is just the given synopsis. Viper, 12.99, pp352. Abused as a child, he has turned mostly into a recluse in his adult life, going out to get food when necessary and see his therapist so he can get his meds. 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.. That synopsis is short and covers just the basics. So, just a heads up. I knew what was happening in this story. And while Im in the minority who didnt fall in love with Wards prose, story, or characters, I can see why others did. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward, 9781788166188, available at Book Depository with free delivery . Ted is an odd sort of a fellow. Put it on the ground right there.". I miss my friend, but I dont really have any means to reach her and even if I would, I have no idea if the person I call a friend is still around. But I don't need a mirror to know how I look. The only reason I can write this stuff is because Im afraid of it. 'completely and cleverly manipulated,' is about right, tortuously and underhandedly. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. When she turned into her street, she looked at the house that she had earned. 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. That was a decision, Ward says. 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. Please do not copy or reproduce without explicit permission. That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. Despite the fact that thousands of people were at the lake that day, he walked up to each woman while they were with friends and introduced himself using his real name. I loved every moment of it and Im keeping the book so I can read it again from a new perspective later on. No one is who they appear to be, a fact that is lost on them. The writing is complex and not linear so it does keep you on your toes in that sense. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. With Gabby D Barbosa, Jeremy Behie, Dylan Garcia, Tristan Koclanis. Bee houses, bat houses, and bird feeders are set up. First we find out that Olivia is one of Laurens alters, created to hide from the pain that Ted was causing her. I don`t even want to try and review it, because I won`t do it justice. 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. Twice in the same day. So, just a heads up. Today, we're delighted to share this Q&A our . Cookie Notice Possible Spoilers Ahead. 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 . Ted lives alone in his childhood home with his cat, Olivia. One particular line in chapter 1 made me guess the first twist, and from then on, the rest was easy to figure out. 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. Just finished the bookagreed 100%. A few more weeks in October would be great! This is my first time coming across this book and oh my, it sounds so good! You just dont, Ward says. Whilst I had my suspicions fairly early on about what was going on, I still enjoyed every second of it. And Ive been thinking a lot. September 29, 2021. 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. Do not miss this book.. Books received from a third party sponsor have no impact on the honesty of my reviews. I figure I might as well share it with you! When two beautiful college girls move across the street from Derek and Chad, sinister things begin to happen. Its a bit un-shelvable.. This is a story the reader . This is probably the best-executed book I have read so far this year. The determined and watchful Dee takes up residence next to Ted's dilapidated home, intent on locating Lulu, convinced of Ted's involvement. 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. I hope its [really] about survival and hope as much as it is about suffering. 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. What's worse, she adds the further cliche of repressed memories/unreliable narrator to the protagonist in order to further obfuscate the narrative. As an avid reader, I often find myself reading a book description and not being able to remember whether Ive read it before. Pretty clear, right? To comply with FTC guidelines, I receive no compensation for the reviews or promotional content posted. and our Teds alters integrate, he gets therapy from a real therapist, and starts to become a part of society again. Were afraid of Ted, because context clues say we should be, because our own knowledge of the world has shown us its often right to be suspicious of loner men who live in shabby, boarded up houses at the end of the lane. . I knew Ted was innocent, but I didnt guess the DID storyline. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. 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. Please only click on the spoiler tag if you already read the book or have no intention of reading it. 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. . What was her role in everything?! I hadn`t read anything about this book prior, just jumped straight in. All I know is that Stephen King had an endorsement quote on the cover, it was a horror book, and may or may not contain a serial killer story. It sounds trite but this is story-telling at its finest. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Okay, Im making quick connection: not only to add to your list, please read it! It blew . A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. All the evidence is there in the beginning. LOL. (Probably major spoilers) Just curious if there's any books, fantastical or realistic, dark and twisted or more "regular" novels containing a villainous psychologist, psychiatrist or therapist? 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 . A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. The conclusion is somehow so predictable, while also being entirely chaotic in its execution. It feels like a complete short story unto itself, and rightly so because it is integral to all that follows. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.All these things are true. The first few chapters are disorientating. An unspeakable secret binds them together, and when a new neighbor moves in next door, what is buried out among the birch trees behind their house will come back to haunt them all. I could hardly bear to let go of her, even for a moment. That's where you're wrong. I didnt find it horrifying or terrifying, though it is thrilling to read. Ms Hayter told of her mother's 'senseless and needless death lying in the road without those who loved her'. "The Last House on Needless Street" by Catriona Ward is definitely worth all the hype! Its safe to say that she has achieved that goal. Because, although Needless Street has no real factual content in the plot at all, there are echoes of a real-life tragedy built into its bones, the kind that could certainly encourage readers to draw specific conclusions about the things theyre watching unfold. If you usually ignore the afterword in books, make this one your exception (though not until after youve finished the book as there is a spoiler in there). That was more chilling to think about than a fictional character, and Im honestly not sure what kind of person this makes me. 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. Its futile to resist it. 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. OMG. "I love the kitty more," I said. Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks! I thought long and hard because at first, I wasnt sure if portraying DID in a horror setting was something I was comfortable with. The Last House on Needless Street Audible Audiobook - Unabridged Catriona Ward (Author), Christopher Ragland (Narrator), Viper (Publisher) & 0 more 4.0 out of 5 stars 3,338 ratings (Company No. The Last House on Needless Street is published on 18 March (Profile, 12.99). Press J to jump to the feed. 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! The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of those books that is difficult to describe without giving away spoilers. 1 ijnfleetadmiral Omake: The Kong-Ree ijnfleetadmiral Omake: You need more than luck, Goto Judge Mental Omake: Wrong question, Issei gS49 Omake: Gred and Forge find out a secret MagisterAurelius Omake: Darth Draco is Displeased Full of twists and turns, sorrow and humanity. My dear friends, please add this brilliant book to your reading list! The Last House on Needless Street publishes September 28, 2021 from Tor . Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I can`t remember the last time I had my emotions so completely and cleverly manipulated. His daughter Lauren comes to visit from time to time, but they never go out when she does, and their relationship is always tense and often violent. Anyway, not long after my friend confided in me our contact quite abruptly ended. The police officer suspected Dee. But its not what you think. #whathaveidone #booksfordays #whoops, Herbs have been planted. There is a truth we begin to see relatively early on . What cat understands English and speaks in slang? We know you all have many questions for Catriona Ward, author of The Last House On Needless Street. 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. Several important facts are clear from the start: Dee's sister was kidnapped as a child while on vacation and Dee is obsessed with finding her, Ted is a loner haunted by his mother's ghost and living in a dilapidated house, and Dee thinks Ted kidnapped her sister. Dee and her ending was kind of a let down. 'The Last House on Needless Street' (Viper Books, Tor Nightfire) was a Times Book of the Month, Observer Book of the Month, March Editor's Pick on Open Book, a Between the Covers BBC2 book club selection, a Times bestseller, and is being developed for film by Andy Serkis's production company, The Imaginarium. The mothers coldness should have been a big red flag. 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. I dont know. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC of this incredible audiobook. He nails the different voices so well, that you feel compelled to go and make sure that its really only one person narrating. Privacy Policy. But then, its a bit of a grey area and it all really depends on your POV how you see her.