Penguin Books
The Witch Elm
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A New York Times bestseller and a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, The New York Times Book Review, Amazon, The Boston Globe, LitHub, Vulture, Slate, Elle, Vox, and Electric Literature
"Tana French's best and most intricately nuanced novel yet." --The New York Times
An "extraordinary" (Stephen King) and "mesmerizing" (LA Times) standalone novel from the master of crime and suspense and author of the forthcoming novel The Hunter.
From the writer who "inspires cultic devotion in readers" (The New Yorker) and has been called "incandescent" by Stephen King, "absolutely mesmerizing" by Gillian Flynn, and "unputdownable" (People) comes a gripping new novel that turns a crime story inside out.
Toby is a happy-go-lucky charmer who's dodged a scrape at work and is celebrating with friends when the night takes a turn that will change his life--he surprises two burglars who beat him and leave him for dead. Struggling to recover from his injuries, beginning to understand that he might never be the same man again, he takes refuge at his family's ancestral home to care for his dying uncle Hugo. Then a skull is found in the trunk of an elm tree in the garden--and as detectives close in, Toby is forced to face the possibility that his past may not be what he has always believed.
A spellbinding standalone from one of the best suspense writers working today, The Witch Elm asks what we become, and what we're capable of, when we no longer know who we are.
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Book Details
ISBN:
9780735224643
EAN:
9780735224643
Binding:
Paperback
Pages:
528
Authors:
Tana French
Publisher:
Penguin Books
Published Date: 2019-30-07
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The item itself was very good, but the plot? A bit complex, as her plots often are, however this one was not quite so enjoyable and frankly? The ending was disappointing. Still a lot better than most, just not as great as some of her other books.
I found this novel to be a slow read. Early inciting incident and then a lot of exposition. A like a faster paced mystery; this one meandered with a lot of telling rather than showing. Not for me.
The story takes a bit to get off the ground, but French's writing is as engaging as ever, crisp, sometimes ruthless detail. The plot is a bit plodding, but believable and could happen to anyone, which is part of the appeal of her writing. One of the few books I had time to finish this year, so that's saying something!
A slog. Slow burner. Almost dumped it at 50% but I forced myself to get through it. I don’t think I got much out of this book. A break-in and beating. Very traumatic. A skull found in a huge elm tree. A murder. Three cousins. Lots of drama. Hugo, the uncle, was cool. Very convoluted with incessant introspection and speculation. A lot of the book dwells on luck. Toby’s luck being born in to a wealthy family. However, I thought a good bit dealt with bad luck. Bad luck with break-in and breaking. Bad luck for “two people” having to deal with Dominic the bully. One stroke of bad luck can change your life. It just happens. Tana French is obviously a brilliant writer, but this was just not my cup of tea.
Having read Tana French before, I expected this narrative to move faster. I held on waiting for the kick, began to feel like I was drinking a non-alcoholic beer. It tasted ok, but waiting, waiting, waiting for the buzz was getting old.Once it came, it was more interesting and insightful than expected.I like that the characters were not one dimensional, with well rounded descriptions and the narrow development found in most crime novels was only present in a minimal few characters.The end was a surprise, but not a pleasant one and I left this book depressed and with an overcast sense of dreary, nihilistic dread.
