Tana French is a highly acclaimed writer known for her gripping psychological crime novels. One of her most recent works, "The Witch Elm," is a thrilling exploration of identity, privilege, and the nature of truth. "The Witch Elm" follows the story of Toby Hennessy, a successful young man living in Dublin. Toby's life takes a turn for the worse when he becomes the victim of a violent burglary, leaving him with severe injuries and a fractured skull. As he recovers, Toby seeks solace in his family's ancestral home, the Ivy House, where he hopes to find peace and heal from his traumas. However, Toby's tranquility is short-lived when a discovery is made in the old elm tree on the property.
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man s heart and lungs. 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.
However, Toby's tranquility is short-lived when a discovery is made in the old elm tree on the property. Hidden within its branches is the skull of a long-dead child. This shocking revelation triggers a series of events that unravels Toby's sense of self and forces him to confront deep-rooted family secrets.
THE WITCH ELM
French has earned a reputation for atmospheric and existentially troubling police procedurals. Here, the protagonist is a crime victim rather than a detective. Toby Hennessy is a lucky man. He has a job he enjoys at an art gallery. He has a lovely girlfriend named Melissa. And he has a large, supportive family, including his kind Uncle Hugo and two cousins who are more like siblings. As the story begins, Toby’s just gotten himself into a bit of a mess at work, but he’s certain that he’ll be able to smooth things over, because life is easy for him—until two men break into his apartment and brutally beat him. The damage Toby suffers, both physical and mental, undermines his sense of self. His movements are no longer relaxed and confident. His facility with words is gone. And his memory is full of appalling blanks. When he learns that his uncle is dying, Toby decides that he can still be useful by caring for him, so he moves into the Hennessy family’s ancestral home, and Melissa goes with him. The three of them form a happy family unit, but their idyll comes to an abrupt end when Toby’s cousin’s children find a human skull in the trunk of an elm tree at the bottom of the garden. As the police try to solve the mystery posed by this gruesome discovery, Toby begins to question everything he thought he knew about himself and his family. The narrative is fueled by some of the same themes French has explored in the past. It’s reminiscent of The Likeness (2008) in the way it challenges the idea of identity as a fixed and certain construct. And the unreliability of memory was a central issue in her first novel, In the Woods (2007). The pace is slow, but the story is compelling, and French is deft in unraveling this book’s puzzles. Readers will see some revelations coming long before Toby, but there are some shocking twists, too.
Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2462-9
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
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As the story progresses, Toby becomes an unreliable narrator, plagued by memory lapses, and struggling to differentiate between reality and his own constructed narratives. With each twist and turn, the reader is confronted with questions about the nature of memory, the malleability of truth, and the hidden darkness lurking within families. One of the novel's strongest elements is French's ability to delve into the complexity of her characters. Toby is neither wholly likable nor unlikable, instead existing in a moral gray area. Through his eyes, French examines issues of privilege, particularly as Toby grapples with his own family's history of privilege and the question of whether the consequences of one's actions can be erased or justified. "The Witch Elm" also serves as a commentary on societal issues, such as class dynamics and the power of wealth. French expertly weaves these themes into the narrative, highlighting the ways in which wealth and privilege can shield individuals from facing the consequences of their actions. Overall, "The Witch Elm" is a masterfully written novel that pushes the boundaries of the crime genre. Tana French's exploration of identity, privilege, and truth will keep readers on the edges of their seats, questioning the nature of memory and the depths of human darkness..
Reviews for "Decoding the Complex Characters of The Witch Elm"
1. Rachel Smith - 2/5 stars - "I was really disappointed with 'Tana French's The Witch Elm'. The plot was slow and meandering, and I found the protagonist incredibly unlikeable. Toby, the main character, came across as entitled and self-absorbed, making it quite difficult to root for him or even sympathize with his situation. Additionally, the mystery itself lacked urgency and failed to keep me engaged. Overall, I found the book to be dull and unmemorable."
2. Mark Thompson - 2/5 stars - "I had high hopes for 'The Witch Elm' but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The pacing was extremely slow, with long digressions and unnecessary details that didn't contribute much to the plot. The characters also felt underdeveloped and difficult to connect with. I found myself getting frustrated with Toby's constant self-pity and lack of growth throughout the story. The final resolution felt rushed and anticlimactic. Overall, I was left feeling underwhelmed by this novel."
3. Sarah Johnson - 3/5 stars - "While 'The Witch Elm' had a promising premise, the execution fell flat for me. The story started off engaging, but it soon became slow-paced and bogged down with excessive descriptive passages. The main character, Toby, was uninteresting and lacked depth, making it hard to invest in his journey. The inclusion of a romantic subplot didn't add much to the overall narrative and felt forced. Although the writing itself was well-crafted, the plot and characters were ultimately forgettable."