“It’s taken me this long to start thinking about what luck can be, how smoothly and deliciously deceptive, how relentlessly twisted and knotted in on its own hidden places, and how lethal.”
A brutal assault leaves Toby with a brain injury that has gifted him with a very blurry account of his past. While taking care of his ill uncle, a skull is discovered in the hollow of a tree, in the garden he and his cousins spent their summers exploring. Once the investigation is underway, Toby is faced with a bad feeling and very limited memories of what happened all those years ago in the garden.
The first time I read Gone Girl, I discovered a story element that I have since chased after as often as I can. The unreliable narrator is one of my favorite kinds of characters. The jerky rollercoaster ride that comes from trying to figure out if the way the character is presenting to the reader is real. This was a very successful unreliable narrator and I enjoyed the journey of the book immensely. French always combines detailed characterization with beautiful writing. Her books always have a very focused and strong sense of place. The atmosphere of her novels are meticulously constructed to add subtle suspense throughout her novels, even when the action of the book is not at its peak.
I have to admit after reading and loving her Dublin Murder Squad series so much, I did feel a little sad and disoriented following a main character that falls in and out of suspicion, rather than following the progress of a pairing of detectives on a case. Don't get me wrong, I don't think this was an unsuccessful branch out from her previous work. All my favorite pieces that make up a French masterwork were present, I just missed the detective format I have come to love from her novels!
The Witch Elm was engaging and beautiful. I couldn't put it down despite the busyness of my life right now. French is one of my very favorite authors. I never tire of the way she masterfully pits her beautiful writing against the complicated ugliness of human nature. It is such an addicting paradox, and I always leave her novels physically but remain in them mentally for weeks after completing her books. I hope she never ever stops writing. There is no one like French and my deep fondness for her writing grows with every book I consume.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars
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