The Last House on Needless Street

The Last House on Needless Street is a horror novel with elements of Gothic literature and a psychological thriller. Horror relies on appeals to pathos to elicit a sense of fear, dread, unease, or even disgust in a reader, often involving the supernatural/paranormal, or the threat of physical/mental harm. Ward believes that “horror is a way for writers and readers to share empathy, particularly regarding our fears. It builds this sustained, empathetic bond between a writer and a reader” (Brown, Jena. “Author Interview: Catriona Ward.” Dark Matter Magazine, 1 March 2022). In The Last House on Needless Street, Ward uses the bond between reader and writer to lull the reader into a false sense of security. Ward constructs a plot that appears to revolve around several frightening scenarios, such as child abduction and murder, but she conceals important and unsettling pieces of information from the reader until near the end of the novel. For example, when Ward finally reveals that Lauren and Olivia are Ted’s personalities, rather than physical individuals, she undermines what the reader believed to be true. Such narrative twists can be used to further shock the reader and leave them with a sense of uncertainty.