I’ve described books as ‘dark’ quite a lot, but I can’t emphasise enough – this book really is dark.īut then, there’s the ending. The author has a knack for telling a story which is compelling, while also making the reader feel completely lost and off-kilter. I was pretty sure I had no idea what was really going on for the majority of this novel (and, I was right). I struggled with my rating for this at times because it is a truly disturbing read. So, I can’t talk too much about the plot for this one, but I want to talk about how it made me feel. “The trick to life is, if you don’t like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops.” Despite that, she does have some cat-like quote I enjoyed. Having a narrative from a cat’s point of view could seem gimmicky or cute, but in the hands of this author it’s really not.

But Olivia isn’t an ordinary cat, there’s something odd and other-worldly about her too. I have to confess, as a crazy cat lady, I was quite excited to have a cat narrator. His love for Lauren and Olivia is clear – even if his treatment of them is clearly wrong. But there’s also something creepingly sympathetic about him, especially when he talks about his upbringing. He drinks a lot, he’s large, and he has some family issues.Ī lot of the book is narrated from Ted’s point of view, and it’s clear from the start that something is off with this man. He lives a reclusive life, only socialising with his beloved cat and his “tweenage” daughter, Lauren, who comes to visit part time. Ted is strange – he’s clearly lonely, maybe a little disturbed. In the last house on Needless Street, there lives a man called Ted. So much so, it’s a very difficult one to review as I have to step over the gaping spoiler that really brings the novel together and alters its entire theme and purpose. This description is a pretty standard blurb for this type of novel. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.Īll these things are true.

The house on needless street review