The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

The Last House on Needless Street is a pivotal novel of literary and genre fiction, and it shows without a shadow of a doubt that horror is a genre that has something to say about the world we live in and the struggle that we face. 

I am not saying that Catriona Ward is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but to paraphrase the Tv series. 

  "In every generation, there is a chosen one. She alone will create a novel that stands against head and shoulders above everything that has come before it in the genre; she is the Ward"den" of Horror".

I'll be honest here this review has taken me close to five months to write, with more rewrites and tossing into the scrap bin than any other book I have had the pleasure to review. You see, The Last House on Needless Street is one of those books that elicits one of my most hated phrases in reviewing " I don't want to say anything else for fear of giving too much away", even typing that phrase here gives me a cold shiver down the spine, which ironically is the exact feeling I felt on every page of this chilling novel.  

But seriously, this is one of those novels that you need to read with the barest of knowledge going in. Catriona Ward has created a masterpiece in sympathetic, psychological horror, where the reader isn't so much kept on the wrong foot but is constantly having their feet kicked out from underneath them, as the serpentine narrative twists and turns through the various points of views, from a cat to the suspected killer to the woman searching for her lost sister.

The Last House on Needless Street excels at keeping the reader guessing as to what is actually going on; just when you think you have it sussed, the narrative throughs in a curveball ball and disorientates you once more. This might seem like a confusing read, and the curveballs are thrown in without any thought or care, but that isn't the case; this is one of the most tightly plotted and planned novels that I have ever read. At no point during the narrative do you think, "oh come on now, you are just being silly".  

At first, it seems like a very straight forward gothic thriller, with an almost Frankenstein monster in Ted, a man who lives in a boarded-up house, a recluse and social pariah; we are wary of him at first, of course, he has to be the "monster" in the novel, but this book is never that straightforward, Ward, has this incredible skill of being able to twist the reader's emotions around her little finger to the point where your sympathies, shift with each chapter of the book, is Ted the monster, well that would be telling, all I will say is nothing in this book is what it first seems. No, that isn't a hint at the truth about this book.  

The Last House on Needless Street is a genuinely beautifully written novel that successfully manages to tackle such a sensitive subject with complete triumphant success; this is one of those stories that have the power to reach down and squeeze every single one of your emotions until you feel like your soul has flayed alive while never having to resort to any sense of graphic horror. The horror in this story comes from the meticulous way Ward reveals the dark secrets at the heart of the story.  

Ward's characterisation is phenomenal; if you were to tell me going into this book, I would be reading chapters from a cats point of view, I would have given you a double-take. A cat that feels a bit of a gimmick; however, by the time I finished reading the first section from the cat's point of view, I was wholly invested in this brave, and as it turns out, purrfect (sorry I couldn't help myself) addition to the narrative.  

I loved that Ted and Dee were portrayed as almost carbon copies of each other. They are both broken to the point where they are barely able to take care of themselves either physically or mentally, and as their entwined narrative unfolds, you see that they are just different sides to the same coin. Driven, unable to let go of the past, and always living in the shadows of what has happened to them.  

There is a beauty in her narrative, especially how Ward tackles the themes of grief, loss, survivor's guilt, and the need for revenge and redemption. Any of these subjects would be hard enough to write about, but Ward's compelling and compassionate understanding of the subject matters never puts one foot wrong.  

The Last House on Needless Street is a pivotal novel of literary and genre fiction, and it shows without a shadow of a doubt that horror is a genre that has something to say about the world we live in and the struggle that we face. 

Set aside a whole day to read this novel, as once you move into Needless Street, you won't want to leave. Stunningly disturbing yet strangely affirming, this is a novel that will be talked about for decades.  

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. But you're wrong. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it's not what you think...

From the multiple award-winning author of Little Eve and Rawblood, this extraordinary tale will thrill and move readers. A work of incredible imagination and heartbreaking beauty.
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'Books like this don't come around too often' - JOANNE HARRIS

'Believe the hype... a masterclass' - KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE

'A chilling and beautiful masterpiece of suspense. I was completely enthralled ' - JOE HILL

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