Book Review: Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

This is a tough review to write! Not because I don’t have lots to say, but because most of what I want to say I can’t, because it’ll be a big massive spoiler! And yes I know the book’s been out for ages, and some people think that after a certain period of time spoilers are fine and if you still haven’t read the book or seen the movie or show, that it’s on you to avoid them. I’m not one of those people. I think everyone should be able to enjoy things spoiler-free! Some young person hasn’t seen The Sixth Sense yet? Why should they not be able to enjoy that twist in the tale like the rest of us?

Speaking of The Sixth Sense, that’s all I can really compare Last House on Needless Street to. Not because of any similarity in story or characters – there’s no similarities at all in that regard. But because when you read this book, you will pick up on lots of little details that will strike you as odd, out of place, or even as possible continuity errors, and then you’ll get toward the end and all the floating threads of the story will begin to weave together, and you’ll want to go back and reread the book, so you can come at it from a place of knowledge and see how all those floating threads are in fact moving towards a point. That’s how I was with The Sixth Sense – I immediately wanted to watch it again to see how it came together, to appreciate the storytelling, and to see if I’d missed any clues the first time round. And that’s how I was with Needless Street.

The story is about a man, his daughter and his cat, living together in the titular house on Needless Street. There’s a nosy neighbour, a missing child, and … that’s about all I can tell you without spoiling things. But I can tell you that it’s spooky at times, heartbreaking at others, horrifying on occasion, and very cleverly weaved together. It’s well worth your time.

This is the first novel by Catriona Ward I’ve read. It won’t be the last.