The
Witch Elm
by Tana French [French]
by Tana French [French]
Fascinating but disturbing
stand-alone novel from the author of the Dublin Murder Squad series (which
starts with In the Woods (2006)).
Toby is a young man in Dublin on a
promising career trajectory until he surprises two burglars in his flat one
night, and they beat him nearly to death. Recovering from his injuries,
including possible brain damage, Toby has become disconnected from who he was
and uncertain what he is going to be. He moves back into a family ancestral
home, to care for his quirky uncle Hugo, who, himself, has recently been
diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. Surrounded by the space that was once
sacred to him in his childhood, Toby tries to reconnect with the two cousins
who were once like siblings to him. When a skull is discovered (and later the
full skeleton) in a cavity in a Witch Elm in the estate’s garden, the ensuing
police investigation causes hidden things from Toby’s past to be dredged up,
making him realize that — brain injury or not — he may not be the man he thinks
he is.
This is a very dark novel, filled
with complex characters and very emotionally-charged scenes. In many ways, it
is the opposite side of the coin to French’s typical police procedural works —
in that we get to see a complicated police investigation from the point of view
of the main group of suspects, and the central one of those has an unreliable
memory. This is definitely a stand-alone novel, so if you want to sample
something from French without committing to following an entire series, it’s a
good example of the quality of her character development and plotting. I’ll
admit, it felt a little “padded”, but was still a compelling read.
[This
title was the selected discussion title for the July 2019 meeting of the
library-sponsored Just Desserts Mystery Fiction Discussion Group.]
[If
you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the rest of Irish author Tana French‘s body of works. ]
[
official The Witch Elm page on the official Tana French web site ]
Read
Pat L.’s review of Tana French’s In the Woods from Nov 2009
Read Donna G.’s review of Tana French’s The Likeness from Nov 2008
Read Donna G.’s review of Tana French’s The Likeness from Nov 2008
Recommended
by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library
Bennett Martin Public Library
Have you read this one? What
did you think? Did you find this review helpful?
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