The Last House on Needless Street

How it reads

The Last House on Needless Street is horror (gothic psychological horror, specifically), and its dominant mood is eerie. It's atmospheric and uncanny, with a sense that something is wrong. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a small town setting, in the present day, told in the first person by several narrators. Its central concerns are secrets, identity and family. In weight it sits in the middle: substantial without being heavy going.

It stands alone, so there's nothing else you need to read first or after. The ending is left open, for you to argue about. At 337 pages it's an ordinary novel's length. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.