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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A carefully-plotted murder mystery with multiple stories all leading back to a tree at the family house and its hidden secret. Very believable characters and behavior throughout showing the weak spots in every family and relationship. An excellent read that kept me glued to the page right until the end.
The Witch Elm is not Tana French’s usual police procedural. In this murder mystery, an ancestral home that is filled with happy memories becomes a nightmarish crime scene. The main character and narrator, Toby, likens himself to a cheerful, oblivious Labrador. Problems have always slipped off him as if he is coated in Teflon, but is he lucky enough to get away with murder?
The assault that leaves him near dead turns Toby into an unreliable narrator. His faulty memory allows unscrupulous provocateurs to plant seeds of guilt with the police and questions in Toby that fuel his internal turmoil. I found myself teetering back and forth on whether or not I liked this character and whether or not I thought he was the murderer. Which was undoubtedly the author’s intent.
After Toby’s introduction and his gruesome attack, Ms. French’s plot slows as she sets up Toby’s post trauma decline and his unstable frame of mind as well as introduces the reader to the rest of her characters. From Toby’s point of view readers meet Toby’s girlfriend, the cheerful and loyal Melissa, his annoyingly concerned parents, affable Uncle Hugo, and the cousins, Susanna and Leon, whom Toby thinks of as pseudo-siblings. The author uses Toby’s now-slow mind to dole out information–in the form of cracked-mirror perceptions and memories– about the individuals. As red herrings are thrown into the mix, Toby and the reader question him and nearly everyone surrounding him.
The Witch Elm is not a fast-paced thriller, but it is compelling. I couldn’t tear myself away from this book. I desperately had to know who was the murderer and how (if) it tied into Toby’s attack. I can’t put my finger on why I felt the ending was not wholly satisfying, but it was probably because I was hoping for a different outcome. After days of thought, it came to me that Toby’s final monologue proves Hugo’s belief that…
“One gets into the habit of being oneself. It takes some great upheaval to crack that shell and force us to discover what else might be underneath.”
This led to thinking about humanity, integrity, luck, karma, and Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Read The Witch Elm for family drama and thought-provoking questions of humanity in the face of physical torment and mental anguish.
Excellently narrated by Paul Nugent.
I actually read only half (struggled through that) and put it away. Really boring.
A young man is disabled in a street fight and has to move in with his ailing uncle to recover. He has always taken his life for granted and is suddenly forced to really look at himself and his family. Into this creeps a mystery, with a skull found in an old tree in the back yard. I think this the author’s best book so far. There are twists and turns and her depiction of a head-injured young man is spot on. Very atmospheric, almost gothic.
It droned on and on forever. I didn’t like the characters so couldn’t care less what happened to them (him). Wound up skimming the second half.
Super disappointing.
Ever since Tana French’s IN THE WOODS, I’ve followed this author and hoped I could find the same absorbing magic. I really haven’t gone there again with her books, but now I’ve tried THE WITCH ELM. What amazes me is the depth to which the writer goes to portray the ruin and hurt of the main character, a young man who suffers a home invasion. Really amazing how French gets into his head. But the book is too long, and for a slow, careful reader, there is a lot of skipping one must do.
I am a great fan of Tana French, and for me this is perhaps her best. We have the mystery of the body in the tree, the very unsavory relatives, the unreliable witness–he’s living at his uncle’s house while recovering from a brain injury. We are seeing the world through his eyes. French is stingy with her clues, but she doles them out steadily and one must pay close attention. A tantalizing psychological thriller.
The Witch Elm by Tana French a four-star read that will suck you deep. This one was a difficult one for me, at times I couldn’t get through the pages quick enough and then at others I struggled to finish one page. I couldn’t decide on a rating to give it, I veered between two and five through different parts of the novel, but overall, I did enjoy it. Watching Toby as he goes through this massive traumatic event and then watching his life unfold after the event and how he goes about figuring life now that its not what he expected, it was like getting into someone’s head and seeing inside in real life. There was just that deep a level of character development and history to them. I haven’t read anything by this author, so I don’t know if it’s different from other works written, but I will have to see about picking them up and giving one of them a whirl.
I’ve loved every Tana French book, but this one was a particularly good mix of surprises and pain.
I really enjoy Tana French but this one didn’t do it for me. The main character was rather irritating and that set me off on the wrong path with the entire story. It was just okay.
When I first read this author I was eager to read all of her works. This novel however was not up to her previous standards. I found the story very slow moving and got bored with the constant introspection of the main character.
The Witch Elm will slowly pull pull you in and get you involved in Toby’s story. Toby is not a reliable narrator having been badly assaulted at the beginning of the book.
The story has several mysteries in it and twists and turns. The characters are strong , some you love , some you just can’t make up your mind about them.
It is involved story that keeps you turning the pages, trying to pick up clues an nuances . I will say I was not even close to how it ended.
Get read for another great read by Tana French.
This book had long stretches of tedium. It had many conversations that didn’t advance the story. It would benefited by a haircut of about a third. it was however a good tale with an unexpected ending.
Gripping, beautifully written, psychological, great characters………
Suspenseful psychological mystery
This book is so well written! The plot is twisty, yet believable. The characters are very well developed. The Dublin police come across as so creepy, I’d be scared to jay walk in that city. An overall satisfying read. Highly recommended!
It took me a while to get into this story. The first chapters go by very slowly but it picks up pace after the family members are introduced. Then the plot gets twisty till the end.
Excellent and twisty and well-written. A fast read that keeps you turning the pages – Non-stop!
Love this author. This book was disappointing in that the characters were hard to relate to. The main character and his cousins were whiney and odd. Did not care for the ending whatsoever.
Hoping for a return to the Dublin murder squad in the next book.
A really good read. You think you’ve figured it out when the plot takes another twist