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In this Rubik’s Cube of a novel, unreliable narrators compel readers to determine what is fact, what is fiction, and who wrote the book that rules their lives.
On its own merits this would be an optional purchase, but since fans of the excellent Needless Street will drive demand, libraries should have it on the shelves.
Disguising itself as a straightforward serial killer story, this strikingly original work quickly evolves into a more special story. It will push readers to their limit, but also make them glad they stuck it out. It’s a good match, in this way, to Stephen Graham Jones’s My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World, or Carmen Maria Machado’s memoir In the Dream House.
Despite a confused and stilted reading (owing to an overreliance on sentence fragments) in some of the chapters, Ward's layered and skillfully crafted novel weaves elements of classic gothic and horror into a remarkable story populated by unforgettable characters, palpable atmosphere, and rich lyricism. Imagine the darkest and goriest undertones of Edgar Allan Poe, the Brontës, Charles Dickens, and Shirley Jackson, and you'll have an idea of what Ward offers here. [Winner of Best Horror Novel at the British Fantasy Awards 2016.—Ed.]