The Last House on Needless Street - Catriona Ward

Ted lives alone with his cat Olivia in a dilapidated clapboard house at the end of a dead end street. He is unemployed, drinks and suffers from several undiagnosed mental problems. His daughter Lauren visits from time to time, but their relationship is strained and often violent.

A woman named Dee moves into the abandoned house next to Ted's. When she starts looking for her sister who was kidnapped years ago, Ted's life slowly begins to turn into chaos.

The Last House on the Needless Street reminded me why I love twisted and strange stories. Unfortunately, I have neglected some of them because of fantasy, but because of that, the enjoyment of reading is greater.

This is a very unusual book. It is written from three perspectives, Ted's, Olivia's and Dee's. While Ted's and Olivia's narratives are in the first person, Diana's are in the third. The style is very strange and, honestly, it took me a while to get used to it. When I realized that there are chapters written from a cat's perspective running through the whole novel, I was like "Is someone kidding me here?!" However, these very oddities are something that, in addition to the story itself, makes this book unique. When I got used to all these "derailments", the reading went smoothly, and the book literally glued me to the chair.

Last House on the Needless Street is not like other horrors or thrillers. There is no blood all around, serial killers or monsters lurking in the dark. This is a novel about mental disorders, madness and survival, as the author herself said. The story unfolds slowly and from the very beginning it is clear to us that something is not right. The relationship between Ted and his daughter and Ted and the cat is sick, to say the least. Ted's behavior is not just that of a mad man. It is clear that he suffers from a disorder, but not what kind. Locking Olivia in a broken refrigerator when Lauren comes to visit, Ted's memories of his mother who left, her background and backstory, relationship with the neighbors, memories of The Girl with Ice Cream, green boys in the attic, Snowy the mouse, the woman with the chihuahua, the man with the orange hair, man-bug Ted's psychiatrist, Dee, and Ted himself all add up to make this story more intricate and weird.

The story itself drew me in very quickly. And no matter how much at certain moments I didn't want to close the book and stop reading, I simply had to, because this is not an easy read that can be read with half a brain. Full attention and concentration on details is required here, because they are the key. It also takes time to "digest" what has been read, because at certain moments Ted's suffering physically hurts, and his disorder threatens to overwhelm the reader as well.

The Last House on the Needless Street is a novel that will make you suspect everyone. When you get to the end, all theories fall into the water, because what is - is not, and what is not actually is. The book literally breaks the brain and leaves you breathless.

A little advice, be sure to read the Afterword, but only after you read the novel, it is very important and explains a lot.
Novel publisher for the Serbia is publishing house Laguna And I most sincerely recommend it for reading, but not for those with weak nerves or those who are too sensitive or are gentle snowflakes.