Talking Scared 30 – Catriona Ward and the All-Consuming Spoiler Warning
This is a big one.
The Last House on Needless Street may be the best pure horror novel I’ve read this decade. Okay, the decade is only 3 months old, but check back with me in 9 years and I may still be saying the same.
I’m delighted to speak to the author of this latter-day classic, Catriona Ward, about secrets and lies and how the hell you begin to describe a book that is one big spoiler!
Once Cat and I work out how to even talk about the novel without ruining for everyone, we then spend a happy hour navigating the nooks and crannies of the book and its titular house. We start with Ted Bundy, end with Ed Gein, and in between we cover why cats are inscrutable, how you write mental illness responsibly, and Cat tell us about the times a ghost pushed her out of bed.
It’s been a long wait to discuss this book, and I’m delighted I finally can. If you have read it get in touch. I’m dying to know what other’s think.
Enjoy!
The Last House on Needless Street is published by in the UK on Mrch 18th by Viper Books. It will be published in North America on Septmeber 28th by Tor Nightfire.
Other books discussed in this episode include:
- Rawblood (2015), by Catriona Ward
- Little Eve (2018), by Catriona Ward
- The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper (2019), by Hallie Rubenhold
- Spider (1990), by Patrick McGrath
Come talk books on Twitter @talkscaredpod, on Instagram, or email direct to talkingscaredpod@gmail.com.
Thanks to Adrian Flounders for graphic design.
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