The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

My husband recommended that I read The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward because, in the manner of Hollow Kingdom and Lessons in Chemistry, at least part of the book is told through the point of view of a house pet. He knew as soon as he said it that it would be enough for me to add it to my hold list at the library. I am nothing if not predictable. 

I'm going to call this book a thriller, but I'm not sure if that's the right description, really. Some reviewers call it a horror novel and I'm not sure I'd go that far, either. Maybe mystery? I don't know. Genre is hard. We are introduced to Ted, an eccentric man who lives at the end of Needless Street in a house with all the windows boarded up. Occasionally his daughter Lauren visits him and his cat Olivia. A neighbor moves next door and soon all four of their perspectives start to weave together to tell a story. But the thing is that none of these characters are really reliable. Ted seems to have some mental health issues, Lauren is a young child who seems to have undergone some trauma, the neighbor seems obsessed with Ted to an unhealthy degree, and the cat? Well, she's a cat. So we're trying to be good readers and figure out what's going on, but it's a real challenge.  And what is going on might surprise you.

I thought this book was pretty dark and it felt oppressive. The only time that really let up for a bit of humor was in Olivia's timeline because Olivia is an amazing born again cat with a lot of sass. I think my husband was correct and the addition of Olivia as a POV really made this book stand out in a way that it might have otherwise become just another dark story. The cat's POV was really strong and consistent and I Olivia is pretty great.  

In general, this was great. I might not recommend it for every reader because it's windy and confusing and you might not immediately know what's going on. It's also just pretty depressing. My husband and I discussed whether or not the ending was hopeful or not and let's just say that we do not agree and that it was pretty ambiguous.  4/5 stars

Lines of note:

As for me, Ted always calls me "you," or "kitten." But my name is Olivia. I have a thin slice of white down on my chest, which sets off my coal-black coat. My tail is long and slim like a wand. My ears are large with a wide swivel and a delicate point. They are very sensitive. My eyes are the shape of of almonds and green like cocktail olives. I think it's OK for me to say that I am beautiful. (page 21-22)

Olivia's voice is just as I imagine a cat to be.

The waiting room in empty and I settle happily on a chair. I like this kind of place, where you're in between one thing and another. Hallways, waiting rooms, lobbies and so on; rooms where nothing is actually supposed to happen. It relieves a lot of pressure and lets me think. (page 71-72)

I love nothing more than being alone in a waiting room for this very reason. It's clear I'm there for an appointment, so I have nothing else I should/could be doing. It feels freeing.