***UNPOPULAR OPINION POST ***
*READ AT YOUR OWN IMPENDING RISK OF RAGE*
Tana French is overrated. There. I said it.
I know, I know, I know. It actually pains me to put this out there, because I used to absolutely adore Tana French. In the Woods, Broken Harbor, Faithful Place, The Likeness and Secret Place are some of my favorite thrillers. Then The Trespasser was released and I was like, “This is god-awful. If this plot gets any less interesting, I’m literally never going to be able to finish this book, which is generally unacceptable to me for an irrational reason.”
But because French has so many novels out that positively resonate with me, I wasn’t going to pass up The Witch Elm. I mean, come on. The title screams creepy.
I’m here to tell you that was a mistake.
If Oprah said it… #itsgospel
Brief (hella brief) synopsis (MINI SPOILERS AHEAD):
Toby is a young man, having the time of his life. He’s a charming and successful young professional in the art world of Dublin, he has a serious and very loving girlfriend, he’s the envy of all of his friends and the apple of his parents’ eye.
Everything is going according to plan…that is until a volatile home invasion leaves Toby partially brain damaged and puts his life in chaotic disarray.
Toby is left feeling some what useless and adrift when he’s able to leave the hospital. Struggling to become the man he once was, he gets an opportunity to help his uncle and childhood caretaker, Hugo, who has been stricken with a brain tumor that is imminently deadly and requires someone to help watch over him at their long-time family home. With the aid of his girlfriend and cousins, Toby takes on the responsibility in the hopes of bettering himself in the process.
One afternoon while lounging around The Ivy House with Hugo, his cousins Susanna and Leon, and Susanna’s husband and children, the children stumble upon a skull lodged in the wych elm located in the garden.
Low and behold, it belongs to a former classmate, Dominic, believed to have committed suicide years earlier.
From there, Toby is left stumbling and bumbling, unable to remember the events of the night Dominic disappeared and questioning his own possible involvement in the (maybe) murder.
Literally, that is 75% of the book.
How I felt crawling through this effing book…
Not even gonna lie guys, I had to skim the last two chapters. From what I gauged, that’s when things got interesting. But this in no way needed to be a 509 page book. Completely unnecessary to the point of really aggravating me.
Tana, I don’t know if I can give you another shot…I mean, I probably will because I’m a glutton for punishment…but it will be with an air of jaded supposition.
But if you’re interested in reading books that get less-than-perfect reviews, here ya go:
If you’re looking for good books by Tana French, I highly recommend:
Let me know what ya think!
Happy & healthy reading!
Alexis
LOL! Thanks for the tip!