the last house on needless street plot summary

A stolen child. The narrative structure each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of four characters, and each person provides a slightly different view of what we learned in the previous chapter. Olivia sounds like a really interesting point of view, makes me wonder what my cats would say about me Great review! Another fabulous review, Tammy! He loses time and makes frequent, nighttime trips to the nearby woods. I just finished this book the other day - so fun to see someone else has read it so recently too! Lulu was never found, nor was her body, so to this day her disappearance remains a mystery. The characters yes, a talking cat is one of the primary narrators. Ted and Olivia live mostly in the dark because hes boarded up the windows with plywood. All these things are true. Maybe I read too much r/fakedisordercringe but I figured out the twist the minute Ted said the cat had to go away when the daughter came over. Death. But its not what you think. Again with Ted blanking for unknown time periods and trying to garner advice from his doctor only by describing TV shows, we are piecing together truth from fiction. I'm so glad to see another fan of The Last House on Needless Street, though! This is where the story begins to go wrong. I literally just finished the book and you pretty much nailed how I felt about it. 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). The StoryGraph is an affiliate of the featured links.We earn commission on any purchases made. This article about a writer or poet from the United Kingdom is a stub. This has all the staple elements I look for in a horror novel of creepiness, suspense, and well, things that will genuinely freak you out. All Rights Reserved. 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. The Last House on Needless Street follows awkward shut-in Ted and his loyal sidekick, Olivia the cat. Something horrible may or may not have happened in Teds past. He was once a suspect in a missing person case involving a little girl named Laura. I spent the rest of the story waiting for what seemed to be obvious to be revealed. Imagine my surprise, then, when I finished Catriona Wards twisty and twisted novel and became a believer. So, where do I even start with this?! This has been in my list for a while.I just might get it now thanks! Yes: 65% | It's complicated: 30% | No: 3%, It's complicated: 59% | No: 25% | Yes: 13%, No: 35% | It's complicated: 32% | Yes: 28% | N/A: 4%, Yes: 82% | It's complicated: 14% | No: 1%. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. WebIn a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Abused as a child, he has turned mostly into a recluse in his Stop-starter of all projects great and small. When Olivia talks about how much she hates the creepy Russian nesting dolls that sit on the mantlepiece, its almost like a Symbolism Siren goes off. As you can probably tell from the lack of plot details, Im doing all I can to avoid spoilers. 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. WebCatriona 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. Im intrigued by your description of her as Bible-reading! I just dont think that such emotional impact requires abandoning good storytelling logic and realistic characters. The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward is the latest novel from the multi-award-winning gothic author. However, intrinsically, The Last House on Needless Street is a tale of survival. What is the role of music for the civil rights activists? I probably shouldnt have read it though before trying to write mine. What does it represent in each timeline? Personally, I was pretty underwhelmed by the final act and the creaky structure of the overall story. --Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes The buzzis real. In chapter 21, Kayla finds a letter that her father, Reed, wrote to Jackson, describing their new house as "haunted." Recently hes been dating and its not gone too well, so hes been extra stressed. You think you know whats inside the last house on Needless Street. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his young daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Does anyone else find themselves spiraling into these pits of despair when faced with a book that simply reminds us of how terrible some humans are? He has a black cat named Olivia who isnt allowed outside the house, and a daughter named Lauren. Known to most as Little Girl with Popsicle, her sister Lulu disappeared and was never seen again. 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. 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. All storytellers are liars, but Catriona Ward is a particularly good one. Even her plot twists have plot twists. 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. Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfictionbooks that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Im relieved I kept going because being pushed to the brink is clearly what the author intended with her plot development. You think youve read this story before. And that is the beauty of this storygetting to the truth is a circuitous and uneven path, one I never grew tired of. The story revolves around a handful of characters: Ted Bannerman is a single man who lives in a creepy, boarded up house on Needless Street. Dates read: January 27 February 2, 2022. 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. All rights reserved.Information at BookBrowse.com is published with the permission of the copyright holder or their agent. I am excited for this one, also. Death. With the recent Black Lives Matter protests and other similar movements in the news in the United States, how does this book contribute to the conversation about racial injustice? Submitted by users as part of their reviews. See below for more (spoiler filled) details on that. Maybe its nothing, or maybe hes visiting his favourite place in the woods. If The Last House succeeds at anything, its in Wards deep empathy for her subject. The must-read gothic thriller of 2021 from the Shirley Jackson and August Derleth award-winning author of Little Eve and Rawblood. The cover definitely screams haunted house and supernatural happenings so Id have been shocked to find out it was about human evil too. He has only his cat Olivia for company, and he What really happened inside the freezer chest? There are so many questions raised throughout the novel that it borders on the confusing, yet thankfully not everything is tied up in a neat bow at the end either, and the tension between reality and make-believe lands firmly in the real side of things once the last page is turned. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Ward initially worked as an actor based in New York. All these things are true. And yet some of them ar Read more Community Reviews Summary of 7,367 reviews Moods dark 95% mysterious 81% This novel was hard to put down and ended up being an instant page-turner. Author Bio, First Published: Dramatic, curly-haired wannabe writer from a nowhere town in Somerset. Here to talk books, film, mental health and lifestyle. $15 for 3 months. How does it influence the plot? Ultimately, it was. Now on the anniversary of her disappearance, Dee has tracked down a new lead, and that lead just happens to be Ted. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. So basically, in the first fifty pages or so. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Why do you think Brenda and Ellie had such different views on race? The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward will undoubtedly be on my top 10 book list of 2021. Once you realize misdirection is the entire goal here, its no longer misdirection, its just a book believing that its smarter than its readers. From literary classics to sci-fi graphic novels, I love it all. A missing child. He has only his cat Olivia for company, and he rarely leaves the house. 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. An ordinary house on an ordinary street becomes a pit of unimaginable darkness in this truly nerve-shattering psychological thriller from the author of Little Eve. Book Review; The Eighth Girl- Maxine Mei-FungChung, AnAverageLifes Top 10 Titles of 2021 An Average Life, Book Review; Road Of Bones- ChristopherGolden, Book Review; Devil In Ohio- DariaPolatin, Book Review; House Of Hunger- AlexisHenderson, Book Review; The Violence- Delilah SDawson, Book Review; A Sliver Of Darkness- C JTudor. What do you think is the meaning behind this statement? Most reviews of The Last House on Needless Street mention that you cant talk about the plot without giving away its secrets. When we then switch into kitten Olivias viewpoint its a jarring change. Too much contrivance was required to make the story work. Lulus older sister Dee is still upset by her sisters disappearance and has continued to search for clues on her own, even after the authorities gave up. Its another way to show how unreliable. Its powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions. Additionally, two characterizations didn't sit right with me. Priscilla Bettis recently posted3rd Quarter 2021 Writing Goals, This is one book you DONT want to spoil, it was so unique:-). 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. I have been meaning to get this book for ages. I have been lied to in the best possible way and I enjoyed every single moment. In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. Theres something weird going on in this book. You know from the outset theres a lot more to this than the characters are showing you, but its so carefully written you cant quite figure out what theyre hiding. The audiobook is narrated by Christopher Ragland, and while he was committed to the characters, some of the portrayals were distracting. And its here that Ward just stops playing fair with her readers. Lying narrators aside, the scarf nonsense alone would have soured me on Wards story. In the last house on Needless Street lives Ted, his daughter Lauren and cat Olivia. Frustrated with the lack of results from the police, she has zeroed in on Ted as the prime suspect. Greg recently postedSunday Post 411, Wow, sounds great. As I delved deeper into the subconscious of these characters, I found myself horrified by what I found, which is what prompted me to consider abandoning it. Press J to jump to the feed. I mean wow, what a book! 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. Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? In the dark of the forest, among the white birch trees, something lies buried. Look, misdirection is fantastic. Hes boarded up all his windows and can only see outside through the small peepholes hes drilled into the boards. How did you feel after you learned of Brenda and Miss Pat's involvement in Winston's death? You think youve read this story before. What is the significance of that decision? I certainly didnt, which I guess makes me the perfect reader! How would the story be different if they were just friends? By the end of the book youll have most of the answers, but not all, which I was OK with. [2] Little Eve also went on to win the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award for best novel. I love surprises like this if theyre handled well:-), Wow, Tammy. Revenge. Author Ted is of course an unreliable narrator, as is the bible-reading Olivia, so its difficult to believe much of anything being described. , Oh Im so used to just ignoring blurbs most of the time, especially Stephen King, he blurbs everything these days! Even when the detective in charge of the case started to give up, Dee kept hunting. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Would you walk over to his house, all by yourself, knock on the front door, make friendly conversation? I got about halfway through The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and debated closing the book for good I just wasnt sure I could handle it anymore. The must-read gothic thriller of 2021 from the Shirley Jackson and August Derleth award-winning author of Little Eve and Rawblood. Murder. Why or why not? Buy This Book. Readalikes| Revenge. We earn commission on any purchases made. Yeah, I thought it was awful, I guessed the big twist about 50 pages in. While theres satisfaction in seeing a bully get comeuppance, does it really need to be at the expense of one mentally ill person targeting another? For example, Reverend Filburn and the Northern students did not initially welcome Ellie because she was from the South, and the people in Round Hill opposed the SCOPE program because "Yankee" outsiders were coming in to "tell us how we should be runnin' things," as Buddy says in chapter 6. as they happened was a truly immersive experience. So, sure enough, we learn that Dee has shall we say some sordid history of her own. Reality: A slow-burn mystery with some satisfying last act reveals. The years passed and so did her parents, but she never gave up the hunt to find the person that took her sister. Catriona Ward was born in Washington, D.C. Like I could handle the Ted/Lauren/Olivia twist because they would conceivably be so fucked up they are actually be narrating as honestly as they are able. Revenge. She really did her research and reached out to those with DID and although it was over the top for entertainment, many parts were quite accurate. Reading Guide| Dees journey was surprisingly nightmarishwe learn she is afraid of snakes for exampleand I thought her character added a nice dimension to the story. A stolen child. That statement resonates with the rest of Ellie's life. Im not generally someone who reads horror, as I tend to suffer from nightmares, but this review sounds really tempting. In what ways does the society that the characters were born into impact who they become? Pages and Tea recently postedBook Review: Later by Stephen King. My hold for this book just came in yesterday! It also made me cry, and I can't say that about too many horror novels. Teds infrequent trips to the bug doctor give us a little extra insight into his personality and a few ideas of important events. This is one of my favorite story devices and it works so well here. WebSummaries. This is the story of a serial killer. He goes out sometimes, usually when he loses time. Mothers, either of the abusive or excessively smothering variety, who have left their adult children with a boatload of devastating mental health problems have become one of horror fictions most recycled tropes. Enter your email address to receive notifications of new posts by email. This is a place to discuss horror literature. Lulus guilt-ridden older sister Dee has been on a mission to find the little girls killer. Do you believe this could have been true? 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. Its another way to show how unreliable all of the characters are, since they never seem to agree on what they see or experience. haha. 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.