'The Witch Elm' by Tana French

‘The Witch Elm’ by Tana French is the third Tana French book I’ve read this year, and - I’m amazed, inspired, in awe of this writer – every book is different, every book a delight, a treat, leaving me awe-inspired and with lots of food for thought.

The Wytch Elm (the title appears sometimes with ‘y’, other times with ‘I’) is a standalone novel, published in 2018 after six books in the Dublin Murder Series. The main character is telling the story, “I consider myself to be, basically, a lucky person.” Within the first couple of pages he reveals himself as a wealthy, privileged white guy, with cousins, friends, and – something I can’t quite identify, but he came across to me as a prick, to be avoided. Somebody entitled, unaware. He has cousins, friends, a girlfriend. Something happens from page 2 – he mentions THE night, the hinge to the before and after, a skull.

The scene described in all detail does not mention the skull; it’s a description of a night out with his friends, their banter – I was close to putting the book aside at that stage. I’m not interested in that type of bullying bullshit that, in some places, is hidden beneath the mantle of friendship. But, as this is Tana French, I persisted and continued reading.

The night progresses, he goes home; as reader I perceive two different personas already – the way he reveals himself to his friends, a different person to his girlfriend. The story he tells about his work shows his entitled worldview – he’s a charmer; he can talk himself into what he wants, and out of challenges, unhampered by any ethical obstacles.

By the end of the night (page 36) his world changes. He’s attacked in his appartment and finds himself with a brain injury. This is where the book starts to captivate me – we are taken inside the head of an entitled privileged man who experiences that he’s not who he once was. And all that ensues.

It’s an amazing book. The relationships that are revealed in the first few pages are revealed in their entirety – back to childhood, back to diverse perception of shared events. The challenge of memory – some events and actions forgotten, some come back, but then – he’s lived a blinkered life by choice. “Anything bad falls straight out of your head.” A cousin’s description that does not relate to the brain injury, but the the lucky guy from the before.

Is it a thriller? It does not start with a murder; a skull is mentioned on page 2 where the narrator relates to the before and after. Yet – there’s no skull – until it appears, unexpectedly, on page 162 of 500.

The theme of memory, and family relationships continues, and deepens. With a small group of main characters, and a range of related characters that appear occasionally, this book is a psychological thriller. What IS your identity? How do you define yourself if some of what you’ve known yourself to be is lost to that brain injury?

I used to be hooked on thrillers by PD James and Elizabeth George; I used to warn my family when I discovered a new book – please, don’t try to tell me anything important, I won’t be available until I’ve finished that book… I’ve matured – a little… - these days I just rob myself of a good night’s sleep. I adore this writer, and I’m delighted that I have another 5 books to discover. I might even give up on Netflix – her Dublin murder series has been turned into a series that is available on Neon…

Highly recommended – with warning – don’t start until you have time to finish…