Yeah this is late.
In June Euro 2020(1) was on, plus we were approaching the end of a very challenging school year. I didn’t read that much. I mean, I did also get a chunk into another novel, but that’s a story for another month.
The Last House on Needless Street
Catriona Ward’s novel came with a ton of expectation. I’d read so much about this without knowing much about it at all. Most of the reviews are full of praise but add that knowing too much can ruin the experience. I understand this, so I’ll give you the basics. Ted is our main character. Ted’s a recluse. He lives with his daughter, Lauren, and his cat, Olivia. We also have Dee who has spent years trying to work out what happened to her missing sister, Lulu. Her suspicion falls on Ted…
…only it’s not that simple. Catriona Ward has a lot of fun giving us an unreliable narrator in Ted (and we also have some great chapters from the perspective of the cat, Olivia who’s unreliable due to her very different perspective). The trouble is we keep having the ug pulled from under our feet which feels much less clever when you crash to the ground for the third, fourth, fifth time.
It is a really interesting read though, just be aware that all is not what you expect.
Trying to Be So Quiet
I really enjoyed James Everington’s trio of hauntings. They’re all very different approaches to grief, and the hauntings that go with that. We have the loss of partners in the first and last stories, and of parents in the second. Each is done in a different way, whether that be in coming to terms with the loss, being forced to face it, or just letting yourself go wild, all are really thoughtful pieces which I thoroughly enjoyed.