The Witch Elm

First Review - 3 Stars Tana French's 2018 standalone novel, The Witch Elm, is a crime thriller that follows the unlikable Toby Hennessy who was brutally attacked in his Dublin apartment after a night out with workmates. He is left for dead and suffering from TBI/PTSD. Toby eventually seeks refuge at his ancestral home, Ivy House, to care for his dying uncle. While there, a skull is discovered in the garden's elm tree, forcing Toby to confront the possibility that his past and who he is, is not what he thought.

I missed seeing this dealt with TBI as well as murder. Just a heads up if you love a TBI survivor. I almost stopped reading this book in the beginning. However, it was written by Tana French who has written several books I really enjoyed so I hung in there. I was glad I did. There were some twists and turns you may not anticipate, and who doesn’t love that?! This is not the first Tana French book I would recommend though.

Second Reading - 4 stars. While I still found some of the characters in this extremely unappealing, I gained new appreciation for some of the others, including Toby. In my second reading, I discovered the delicious way with words that the author always has. I also discovered more depth in the main characters and a linking of stories, lies and consequences than I saw before. While not a favorite Tana French book, it is a heartbreakingly compelling one. Everyone has a story, an inner life, that none of us knows about. That includes even our family and intimate friends. Glad I read it again. I will note that in addition to TBI, PTSD and sexual aggression there is also a particularly vicious murder.

Tana French's 2018 standalone novel, The Witch Elm, is a crime thriller that follows the unlikable Toby Hennessy who was brutally attacked in his Dublin apartment after a night out with workmates. He is left for dead and suffering from TBI/PTSD. Toby eventually seeks refuge at his ancestral home, Ivy House, to care for his dying uncle. While there, a skull is discovered in the garden's elm tree, forcing Toby to confront the possibility that his past is not what he thought.

I missed seeing this dealt with TBI as well as murder. Just a heads up if you love a TBI survivor. I almost stopped reading this book in the beginning. However, it was written by Tana French who has written several books I really enjoyed so I hung in there. I was glad I did. There were some twists and turns you may not anticipate, and who doesn’t love that?! This is not the first Tana French book I would recommend though.

I missed seeing this dealt with TBI as well as murder. Just a heads up if you love a TBI survivor. I almost stopped reading this book in the beginning. However, it was written by Tana French who has written several books I really enjoyed so I hung in there. I was glad I did. There were some twists and turns you may not anticipate, and who doesn’t love that?! This is not the first Tana French book I would recommend though.