Russian Dolls Screaming in the Dark

One of the best and most exciting reads I had this year was Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street, that's for sure. But it is super hard to review because the phrase "the less you know about it before reading, the better" has never held more weight than for this book. So, I'm aware that I'm moving on dangerous ground here and will try to review accordingly. I also have to say that I personally did know nothing about this book when I started reading it and that was something that truly paid off. I had it on my e-reader because it probably was on some "year's most anticipated horror" list and I noted it and then found a good deal somewhere and purchased it, adding yet another title to my ever growing and never ending TBR-pile. When a few months later a book friend of mine on goodreads posted that she started reading this but feels uncomfortable about reading it alone and I took this spontaneous opportunity to do a buddy read - because you know, why not squeeze in another book? - I had already long forgotten the synopsis. I was also intrigued by this book that even experienced horror readers were uncomfortable reading. It was a very good decision.

To play it safe, let's start with the cover description;

This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street. All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, lies something buried. But it's not what you think...

This cryptic text wraps it up pretty nicely; we follow Ted who, for all we know, is a kind of kidnapper and killer; Olivia, Ted's cat; and his "daughter" Lauren, a peevish, unstable pre-teen girl. As we gradually learn more about these characters in each chapter, the mystery at the core of their lives very slowly, layer by layer unveils itself to the reader. But until the truth is fully disclosed, you will find yourself stuck in a guessing game where you chase for clues and hints, but still there will always be "something off", something fishy with the conclusions you reach. Every single expression, the language used, the perception of the characters will matter and you will truly feel like an investigative psychiatrist, if there ever was such a thing. What you discover will make you sad, disgusted, horrified until you realize at the next turn that they are only assumptions in your head and that this story is very likely something else entirely. On the other hand, you will soon realize that some clues were really hiding in plain sight and you were a fool not to have seen them before.

The first thing I hate is called a Russian doll. It holds a smaller version of itself inside it, and another inside that and so on. How awful. They are prisoners. I imagine them all screaming in the dark, unable to move or speak. The doll’s face is broad and blankly smiling. It looks so happy to be holding its children captive.

When finally all the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle come together, when you unveiled every single matryoshka, it gives a profoundly tragic but also beautiful and wholesome final picture, and The Last House on Needless Street is just as profoundly beautiful as it is interesting and well-written. It will grab you, drag you along, get under your skin. It will make you want to stay up past your bed time even though you need to work in the morning and leave you thinking about it days after you finished. If you have the possibility to read and discuss it with other people, I would suggest you do so, because a) the puzzling over mysteries is more fun when you do it with someone and b) this book is no walk in the park. There is torment, psychological and physical cruelty and abuse that can be very upsetting and it might help you read the book if you have someone to talk about it.

I can't think of another book that is so full of sorrow and torment, but at the same time bears so much hope and strength and I can only from the bottom of my heart recommend you read it.