The Last House on Needless Street: A BBC Two Between the Covers Book Club Pick; the Gothic Masterpiece of 2021
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-09 00:51:06
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Catriona Ward
- ISBN：1788166183
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Summary
*THE MUST-READ GOTHIC THRILLER OF 2021*
'I haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl' - STEPHEN KING
'The new face of literary dark fiction' - SARAH PINBOROUGH
'Books like this don't come around too often' - JOANNE HARRIS
This is the story of a murderer。 A stolen child。 Revenge。 This is the story of Ted， who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street。
All these things are true。 And yet some of them are lies。
You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street。 You think you've read this story before。 In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street， something lies buried。 But it's not what you think。。。
'I haven't read anything this exciting since Gone Girl' - STEPHEN KING
'The new face of literary dark fiction' - SARAH PINBOROUGH
'Books like this don't come around too often' - JOANNE HARRIS
This is the story of a murderer。 A stolen child。 Revenge。 This is the story of Ted， who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street。
All these things are true。 And yet some of them are lies。
You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street。 You think you've read this story before。 In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street， something lies buried。 But it's not what you think。。。
Reviews
Lisa *OwlBeSatReading*
，
Right， how to write the vaguest of vague reviews yet keep it interesting。 Now that’s what I call a challenge！！OK， so this mysterious book has been doing the rounds and luckily I didn’t come across any spoilers prior to starting it。 Thank goodness！！ How have readers reviewed this without letting the cat out of the bag I’ll never know。 It’s a tough one to write。 But I’ll do my best。 What/who’s it about then？ Well， Ted， predominately。 A recluse of a man who lives in a boarded-up house on the street Right， how to write the vaguest of vague reviews yet keep it interesting。 Now that’s what I call a challenge！！OK， so this mysterious book has been doing the rounds and luckily I didn’t come across any spoilers prior to starting it。 Thank goodness！！ How have readers reviewed this without letting the cat out of the bag I’ll never know。 It’s a tough one to write。 But I’ll do my best。 What/who’s it about then？ Well， Ted， predominately。 A recluse of a man who lives in a boarded-up house on the street in the books title。 It’s situated on the edge of a wooded area somewhere in NW Washington state， US。 He lives with his young daughter， Lauren and his religious pet cat Olivia。 Yes， you read that right， a RELIGIOUS CAT。 There’s history of children going missing in the area， but none of them have ever been found and the crimes have never been solved。 This is the first time I’ve read a book， finished it， and then had the pleasure of watching it being discussed on television。 I was determined to watch Between the Covers on BBC2 last night with the smuggest face ever。 Yes， even the guests talking to Sara Cox also struggled to say much about it in case they leaked spoilers！Throughout reading I had to stop and hold onto my head for fear of my brain exploding！ I lost count of how many times I said ‘wait， what， hang on a minute， that can’t be right’。 I was re-reading sentences， dialogue， descriptions multiple times because I could not believe what I was reading。 The Last House on Needless Street is a book I will never ever forget。 I went to bed last night thinking about。 Working out how to write a review that would do it the justice it deserves。 I awoke this morning absolutely none the wiser so just thought I’d get a very basic synopsis down and then go from there。 To be honest， you just need to read it。 If Stephen King loved it， then it’s got to be something pretty special don’t you think？ I will say that Kings’ fans will definitely see a few nods to the man himself throughout the book。 Clever， Catriona， very clever indeed！ I can’t say any more about it really， apart from if you buy one book this year， make it this one。 It will blow your mind。 ‘People who have lived together for many generations share a special kind of madness’。 Apparently the film rights have been snapped up already and it’s translation rights have been sold in 18 territories。 Catriona Ward is an exceptional writer and story teller。 I’ve read stacks of horror and to discover something of such high quality within this genre is a bit of a rarity these days。 It’s dark， clever， incredibly well researched and it could quite possibly be my Book of the Year。 One last thought， if I was to read it again， knowing what I know now， it will be a completely different story。 I don’t re-read that often， but this one is just begging for it！！ 。。。more
Cynsonya Wallace
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Olivia and the Brouhaha made this story worth reading。
Karen Turner
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I haven’t read any other book like this 。 Eerie， compelling， different and utterly fascinating turning each page as I try to figure out where I’m being led 。 Ted has so many layers to him which is revealed as you go through 。 Then about halfway the penny dropped and it just got better 。 Everything made sense。 It’s not an easy read because of the issues Ted has 。 I truly felt for him in a misunderstood world he’s in 。 Thoroughly researched and heartfelt 。
Michelle Prak
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Outstanding。 Amazing。 One of the best stories I’ve ever read。 RECOMMENDED！
Yaneth Suárez
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Wow。 Wow。 Wow。。。I'm really impressed。 I haven't seen such intense and complex work in a long time。 It was unnerving， dark and full of questions and suppositions。 Even when I started to understand the plot I didn't know where we were going or what paths would the author choose。 I'm glad she chose the one she chose。 It was a ray of light。 Wow。 Wow。 Wow。。。I'm really impressed。 I haven't seen such intense and complex work in a long time。 It was unnerving， dark and full of questions and suppositions。 Even when I started to understand the plot I didn't know where we were going or what paths would the author choose。 I'm glad she chose the one she chose。 It was a ray of light。 。。。more
Rachael Bermingham
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I'm not not normally a fan of the horror novel and approached thIs one with some trepidation。 However this was a surprisingly easy read for the genre。 Some genuinely horrific moments but most of the time just good pacy well constructed narrative。 I did figure out some of the who what when where and why before the ending was rolled out but that didn't spoil it。 Recommended。 I'm not not normally a fan of the horror novel and approached thIs one with some trepidation。 However this was a surprisingly easy read for the genre。 Some genuinely horrific moments but most of the time just good pacy well constructed narrative。 I did figure out some of the who what when where and why before the ending was rolled out but that didn't spoil it。 Recommended。 。。。more
Gentry
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I was still expecting a shocking twist in the last few pages because I kept hearing that it had an ending you’d never see coming。 But I guessed most of it pretty early on。 Still a great read。
Roger Stewart
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You should go into this novel knowing nothing about it。 I'll do my best to avoid "spoilers" because， in this case， they really would spoil it。* The author writes with sensitivity and the best of intentions， seeking to reveal aspects of how the human mind can work that are puzzling and， possibly， signposts pointing toward a better way of understanding who we are。 That sounds pretty heavy， and I suppose it is。 I have to say that I respected this book more than I enjoyed it。 The author uses misdire You should go into this novel knowing nothing about it。 I'll do my best to avoid "spoilers" because， in this case， they really would spoil it。* The author writes with sensitivity and the best of intentions， seeking to reveal aspects of how the human mind can work that are puzzling and， possibly， signposts pointing toward a better way of understanding who we are。 That sounds pretty heavy， and I suppose it is。 I have to say that I respected this book more than I enjoyed it。 The author uses misdirection， unreliable narrators， and slow reveals to keep the reader off balance and guessing for two-thirds of the book。 Even as certain truths begin to come clear， other layers remain to be peeled away。 Frankly， my patience was tried almost to the point of giving up。 I'm glad， however， that I did stick with it。 Patience is rewarded， though perhaps only just。While The Last House on Needless Street uses certain tropes of the horror novel， it is not， in the end， what it appears to be。 The author herself admits the novel is "disguised as horror。" However you decide to categorize it， the work sits more comfortably at the literary than at the genre end of the spectrum。 The book has garnered high praise from many critics， but I found it only mildly interesting and not entirely convincing。 -----*By all means， avoid looking at the author's afterword and end notes until you have finished reading the book， or at least until you've gotten two-thirds of the way through。 。。。more
Patrick Carroll
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I haven't read horror/thriller books since I was a teenager and "addicted" to Stephen King， however this is an exceedingly cleverly written book。 Although I was initially a bit put off by one of the narrators （not saying who as it would be a spoiler） as the story unfolded and information was drip-fed I really got sucked into the whole thing。 So as a return to such books I was a pleasantly surprised at the way the tale unfolded。 I will certainly try another of Catriona Ward's books， possibly her I haven't read horror/thriller books since I was a teenager and "addicted" to Stephen King， however this is an exceedingly cleverly written book。 Although I was initially a bit put off by one of the narrators （not saying who as it would be a spoiler） as the story unfolded and information was drip-fed I really got sucked into the whole thing。 So as a return to such books I was a pleasantly surprised at the way the tale unfolded。 I will certainly try another of Catriona Ward's books， possibly her debut novel？ 。。。more
Kristie
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Thank you to Macmillan-Tor/Forge: Tor Nightfire， Macmillan Audio， and NetGalley for providing me with complimentary electronic copies of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。
Sara
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I feel like this book is brilliant and I am not。
Sheila
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A strange story， but it all came together in the end。
Robin
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3。5 rounded up to 4。 I really wanted to hate this book but ended up liking it for its originality。 Be warned， though， there are lots of triggers in this book。
Robin Som
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The prose， for the most part， is brilliant， and the The Last House On Needless Street appears to promise a fresh take on the effect of trauma on the psyche， but it ultimately disappoints。 It becomes a bit of a slog at 200 pages， but I read on in anticipation of the twist。 The twist is one we have seen many times in the psychological horror genre。 The author includes an odd afterword that came across as an apology using this trope。 Additionally， the one too many coincidences in the plot make it u The prose， for the most part， is brilliant， and the The Last House On Needless Street appears to promise a fresh take on the effect of trauma on the psyche， but it ultimately disappoints。 It becomes a bit of a slog at 200 pages， but I read on in anticipation of the twist。 The twist is one we have seen many times in the psychological horror genre。 The author includes an odd afterword that came across as an apology using this trope。 Additionally， the one too many coincidences in the plot make it unsatisfying。 Perhaps there has been too much hype around it。 It’s really a 2/5 book， but I’m giving it an extra star for the marvellously imagined Olivia， by far the best character。 。。。more
Monique Lepine
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So well done and extra creepy。 I had to stop reading before dark as it was too scary for me！
Ryan Johnson
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One thing I enjoy about books， over just about any other form of media， is its ability to manipulate perspective。 Outside of a few notable examples， most of the visual forms require the viewer to remain in a neutral， third-person perspective， but in a novel， our window into the world can be anything the writer can imagine。 It's this manipulation of perspective that makes The Last House on Needless street such a compelling read， as it goes beyond simply an unreliable narrator， to nearly half of a One thing I enjoy about books， over just about any other form of media， is its ability to manipulate perspective。 Outside of a few notable examples， most of the visual forms require the viewer to remain in a neutral， third-person perspective， but in a novel， our window into the world can be anything the writer can imagine。 It's this manipulation of perspective that makes The Last House on Needless street such a compelling read， as it goes beyond simply an unreliable narrator， to nearly half of a dozen of them。 Constantly switches voices， sometimes getting mixed commentary on the same situation， creates many sides to the mysteries at the heart of the novel， until we're left staring into a cloudy prism， knowing something brilliant but troubling is lurking within， but not knowing how to clear away the dust。 By the time the dust clears and everything comes to light， all of these relatable characters have taken us on meaningful， unforgettable journeys， even if they never left the confines of that dark， lonely house on Needless Street。 The Last House on Needless Street hits hard， but not in the way I was expected， While it certainly is tense， and horrifying， and at times violent， it also has a sense of loneliness and sorrow in its bones that creeps in as you read。 I know for one that I was left weeping in the final stages of the book， something that virtually never happens to me。 Ward makes us care deeply for Ted， Olivia， Lauren， Dee， and the rest of the broken， trouled souls that call this book home， and in the process creates a book that transcends its own genre to become something truly meaningful。 A huge thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for giving me the opportunity to experience this lovely book， and be sure to grab your copy when it hits shelves in September 2021。 。。。more
Pam Andersen
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I stayed up WAY past my bedtime reading this DARK， COMPLEX， TWISTED， disturbingly delicious psychological thriller。 You will fall in LOVE with Olivia - the charming house cat who reads the Bible， has a mind of her own， and NEVER leaves the boarded up， unkept house。 You will FEAR and LOATHE Ted - the recluse， CREEPY man who is mentally unstable TO。 THE。 CORE！！！！！ And you will be EXTREMELY scared， nervous and fearful for Ted’s daughter - Lauren！ Suffocating， claustrophobic， and utterly horrifying， I stayed up WAY past my bedtime reading this DARK， COMPLEX， TWISTED， disturbingly delicious psychological thriller。 You will fall in LOVE with Olivia - the charming house cat who reads the Bible， has a mind of her own， and NEVER leaves the boarded up， unkept house。 You will FEAR and LOATHE Ted - the recluse， CREEPY man who is mentally unstable TO。 THE。 CORE！！！！！ And you will be EXTREMELY scared， nervous and fearful for Ted’s daughter - Lauren！ Suffocating， claustrophobic， and utterly horrifying， this book will grip at your heart strings on page ONE （1） and you’ll find yourself biting your nails until the very end。 This is a must read for every fan of horror AND， f you think you have it figured out - think again， because you don’t！ Publication date is September 28 - perfect timing for Halloween！！ 🎃 Synopsis: 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 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。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。 。。。more
Mylene
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Wow！ Wow！ Wow！So glad I read this story。 You cannot give a summary of this story without giving a lot away。 It will start off slow， but stick with it， the book will give you chills。 Incredible， intelligent novel。 It is beautiful， chilling， perverse， hopeful， and ugly all at the same time。 Enjoy！
clarabeauxx
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Loved this book so much！
Amy Whitehouse
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Twisty twisty！ I had partially guessed it but still v。v。good。
Victoria Norris-Maclean
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So good！ You think from near the start that you immediately know what is going on then BAM， something else comes to light， you come to understand again， then BAM， another revelation！ This book is so full of unexpected twists， it is brilliant。
Lisa
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Quick read but totally underwhelming。 Made me sad a lot of the time and the rest was just frustrating。
Chris Haak
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Good read with a thrilling plot and some excellent twists。Thank you Tor Nightfire and Edelweiss for the ARC。
Christine Rennie
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The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of the books selected by the BBC 2 programme Between The Covers， which is why I wanted to read this book。 Unfortunately I did not realise it was an atmospheric gothic horror book and as much as I tried I couldn’t follow the story。 So I am sorry to say I did not finish the book。Reading other reviews it does appeal to gothic horror fans and has many positive reviews， sadly I should never have chosen to read this book， as it is not my normal The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is one of the books selected by the BBC 2 programme Between The Covers， which is why I wanted to read this book。 Unfortunately I did not realise it was an atmospheric gothic horror book and as much as I tried I couldn’t follow the story。 So I am sorry to say I did not finish the book。Reading other reviews it does appeal to gothic horror fans and has many positive reviews， sadly I should never have chosen to read this book， as it is not my normal reading material。I have rated it a four star read because of other reviews I have read about the book。 。。。more
Carrie （literary_cosmos）
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A dark， disturbing， and truly horrifying tale。 I love horror and this has it all！ This was jaw dropping， and absolutely fantastic。 Catriona Ward has something special here and the buzz is REAL。 I don't want to give anything away because you have to go in blind。 I love， love， love this book。 DO NOT miss this one！ Easily going in my Top Ten this year。 Available now in the UK。 Publishing in the US September 28！ A dark， disturbing， and truly horrifying tale。 I love horror and this has it all！ This was jaw dropping， and absolutely fantastic。 Catriona Ward has something special here and the buzz is REAL。 I don't want to give anything away because you have to go in blind。 I love， love， love this book。 DO NOT miss this one！ Easily going in my Top Ten this year。 Available now in the UK。 Publishing in the US September 28！ 。。。more
Emma Darcy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5 I honestly hated it because there was no puzzle to it， it all felt very obvious except for the final twist which I didn't guess because the time line was so broken and mixed up I thought the real killer's alibi was being dead at the time BUT I really liked Rob， and the thing about the gods and the green boys。 All super cool aspects。 There was just so much of everything， Ward could have taken half of this and really zeroed in on it and had a really tight and harrowing story instead of a carni 2。5 I honestly hated it because there was no puzzle to it， it all felt very obvious except for the final twist which I didn't guess because the time line was so broken and mixed up I thought the real killer's alibi was being dead at the time BUT I really liked Rob， and the thing about the gods and the green boys。 All super cool aspects。 There was just so much of everything， Ward could have taken half of this and really zeroed in on it and had a really tight and harrowing story instead of a carnival ride through torture town 。。。more
Neil Youngson
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Don't read this if your head is not in a good place。 Kindle recommended it and it has been a depressing experience。 Don't read this if your head is not in a good place。 Kindle recommended it and it has been a depressing experience。 。。。more
Isabella Garcia
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Wow。。。
Jon
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DNF。 Managed just over 2/3rds。 I feel like I read a different book to everyone else。 Painfully slow unraveling。 Almost certainly a personal taste thing; just not my jam at all。
Cindy Baumeister
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