Named a New York Times Notable Book of 2018 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 TimesAn “extraordinary” (Stephen King) and “mesmerizing” (LA Times) new standalone novel from the master of crime and suspense and … new standalone novel from the master of crime and suspense and author of the forthcoming novel The Searcher.
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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I gobbled up all of Tana French’s other novels and was excited about this even though I was a bit disappointed it wasn’t going to be another Dublin Murder Squad novel (though I could see why she might want to branch out, since writing from the perspective of a damaged detective who develops a surprisingly personal link to the crime they’re investigating could get stale after a while.) I thought this book was strongest in the way it takes the different ways that privilege can shape how you view the world, what you notice and don’t notice, and uses those concepts to create the basis of an unique psychological thriller. So thought-provoking and full of gorgeous writing as always. It’s worth sticking it out through the slower first half, as the gradual build up and character development really does pay off in the end.
Really good book, and I do recommend. It’s a slow build mystery that had me guessing until the end. Fair warning: It’s a very long book and not a quick read.
What a fantastic novel! The Witch Elm is nothing like Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad novels (which I also love). This is a family saga, really, that does have a crime buried in there somewhere, but it’s a looong, slow boil. Imagine if Meg Wolitzer wrote a crime novel–it’s that multilayered and complex and intergenerational and–this is going to sound weird–warm and wonderful. I mean, it’s creepy, too. It’s the perfect curl-up-in-front-of-the-fireplace novel.
I’m a big fan of Tana French’s Dublin-set mysteries, and impatiently await each new one. I found The Witch Elm totally absorbing. It included a couple of elements I always find satisfying: the unreliable narrator (in this case, due to brain damage from a severe beating) and a murder that happened years before the current action. Each of her books stands on its own, and I highly recommend all of them.
As a mystery writer myself (The Dot Meyerhoff mysteries) I was moved and inspired by French’s use of language and how she plumbed the depth of her characters. Reading this book was like taking a class titled “How we should write.” I have read her other novels, but this one breaks all the rules and still gets the prize.
A long, slow build to a shattering crescendo. If you love character-driven fiction, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find an author who’s better at it than French.
A mind blowing read on so many levels. Such an intense read—it required a lot of “digestion” on my part but in a good way. The mystery part aside, this is also a existential study of human nature and “who really knows who”….totally hooked now by this writer.
Tana French’s first standalone novel, The Witch Elm, weaves along the line between literary and crime fiction. Narrator Toby finds a darker side to his past and himself after suffering head trauma during a burglary, and that’s before the skeleton in the family closet (literal skeleton, figurative closet) comes out. What’s most intriguing is French’s fascinating exploration of identity through the character of Toby. Are any of us who we think we are? Can anyone see themselves clearly? And as Toby tries to piece back together his memories, how does he know how his own perspectives, or the perspectives of other people, might have skewed his thinking about his life and his identity? Bittersweet and darkly funny at times, the writing is deeply atmospheric and peppered with flashes of insight. I didn’t even mind that I figured out who the killer was long before Toby did…there was still another twist I did NOT see coming after that, and there was plenty about this book to enjoy along the way.
How can I like a book when I disliked all the characters ? This book was so boring for 3/4 filed with mundane life experiences, moments of reflection and meh. A lot of words about a bunch of people who I cared not one speck for. The last 1/4 finally started to get some life, but i was already in the “I could care less about any of these people” stage. I will admit there was a twisted twist that I never saw coming that was creative. Yeh, but I was not into it because who cares what happens to these crappy characters. This was a shelf surfing failure for me.
I listened on audio the narrator was really good.
This atmospheric mystery starts off at as a slow burn, but by the middle, I couldn’t turn those pages fast enough. I was lucky enough to see French talk to John Boyne about The Wych Elm at Waterstone’s Piccadilly in London when it first came out, and at the time she said she thought of this book as being about a person who’s been lucky all their life and what happens when that luck turns. I’d argue that what French (and her protagonist Toby) means by ‘luck’ is really privilege, and that when looked at this way it’s an even more layered, and nuanced novel about the blinkers and blinders that those of us who benefit from the privileges of being straight, white and middle class (and in Toby’s case, male), have had on for most of our lives. It’s a beautifully, if densely written novel: French’s sentences are long and winding, and you really have to pay attention to what’s going on. It’s a book that demands concentration, and that really rewards the reader when you do give it the attention it deserves. It’s also a really interesting read for those of us who have read all of her Dublin Murder Squad series, because it flips the script and gives us a view of what it’s like to be the victim and the suspect in a crime, rather than the detective.
I couldn’t stand the main character, nor did I care for how he treated his girlfriend and family. I gave up at 79 pages.
Tana French is an accomplished author of the physiological suspense thriller. This book is a stand-alone book that really has you trying to figure out who’s responsible. It has you wondering what someone could be capable of if pushed to their limits, or have had things happen that make them no longer know who they are. I really wasn’t expecting it to end the way it did. Well done! I’m always grateful to the employee at Border’s who many years ago told about this new author and her book – In The Woods. I’ve been following Tana French since that time.
Full disclosure I’m not finished yet, but this author and book are amazing. Rich, textured, complex, and intriguing, you should up as many Tana French books as your arms can carry!
Another delicious novel from Tana French. French’s narrators always have a voice that draws you in like a long-lost friend, a voice you’d follow anywhere. Even the most die-hard fans of French’s Dublin murder squad will fall for the bewitching WITCH ELM, a twisty tale of family secrets that doles out surprises right to the very end. I listened on audiobook and it’s like having your best Irish pal pour honey in your ear for hours on end.
I’ll read anything Tana French writes. Over and over.
I’m a fan. I’ve read and (mostly) loved all Tana French’s books. I really liked this one; however, it diverges from her regular offerings in that the book isn’t part of the Dublin Murder Squad series and, although there is a mystery, it isn’t the main plot driver. The story is really a character study of the protagonist, Toby Hennessy, who skates above the troubled waters of the world in his rich-privileged-white-man bubble. Until he becomes the victim of a crime, and discovers how his own thoughtless actions have aided and abetted another.
This story isn’t going to be for everyone. The Witch Elm IS NOT A THRILLER. It is a literary novel with a crime in it. It’s a slow, rich burn with French’s usual evocative, beautiful prose. Although we do discover the solution to the mystery of the witch elm, the real question is whether Toby will be able to change the kind of person he is. Although he does gain some awareness, he makes a grave mistake in how he chooses to transform himself, and we’re left hanging as to whether he has truly succeeded.
I love everything she writes. This book is a great page turner and has a great ending.
When Toby is robbed and viciously beaten in his home, his sense of himself as a lucky person is challenged, and with the physical changes come some very troubling mental and emotional changes as well. He can’t move as comfortably through the world as he once did, and views people with suspicion. Becoming a near-recluse, he at first balks at his cousin’s suggestion that he return to their childhood second home, Ivy House, to recuperate. But his beloved uncle, who lives at Ivy House is dying and soon he relents, and returns after all, his supportive and loving girlfriend Melissa in tow. That return sets into motion a stunning chain of events that have Toby questioning almost everything he once believed — about his childhood, his family, and even his sense of who he is.
This book did for me what I wish all mystery-suspense novels would — gave me great scenery, plot, character development, dialogue, mood, the backstory … the whole shebang. Tana French is new to me, but I can already tell, she is one of those authors who elevate “genre fiction” to the level of literary excellence. It’s clear that she enjoyed writing this book just from the way it read. There was humor, poignancy, tragedy and the entire gamut of emotions that comprise the human experience. This was less than a perfect read for me only because I thought it might have belabored the point a little and run on a little too long. Don’t get me wrong, though, I love longer books. This one however, explored a theme (or several) and then drove them home repeatedly in a way I didn’t think was necessary at times. I did, however, continue to be surprised, right up until the very end, so there was that. It’s not an easy feat in this kind of book to have yet one more jaw-dropping moment near the end without it feeling excessive. The surprises in this one weren’t excessive, they were the product of very tight and skillful plotting, so hat’s off for that.
I have two more Tana French novels and can’t wait to dive in. As for this one? Highly recommended.
The Witch Elm is an amazing book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As usual, Tana French has written a story that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading. It is almost tempting to give up at the beginning of this book..The characters come in to the story in a most chaotic way. They bring seemingly unrelated stories. The threads are a bit hard to follow. This story also has to do with memory, and how people remember shared experiences in a completely different way. Then there is the tree. A metaphor for many things. There is a crime and it also becomes part of the story. There are twists and turns and brilliantly written dialogue. You will want to put this book down, but find you can’t.