The witch elm

2 stars

A disappointing book from one of my favorite authors.

I really enjoyed Tana French’s other books, so was very surprised that I couldn’t even finish this one. I gave it a fair shot. I read 150 pages of the book, but just couldn’t make myself read anymore. I used to force myself to read every book that I started, no matter how much I hated it or how miserable I was, because I thought it was my duty to tough it out. As I got older, I realized that was total nonsense. Life is too short to read bad books. There are way too many good books out there that deserve my precious time, so I’m going to spend my time enjoying them instead.

This book focuses on Toby. He works in an art gallery and pulled some shady stuff for which he should have been fired. He goes out after work to celebrate his good fortune with his best friends and they party the night away. He returns home drunk and interrupts burglars in his home. They seriously beat him and leave him for dead. Luckily he survives, but has major impairments. After spiraling into depression, he decides to retreat to an ancestral home to help care for a dying relative. While there a skull is found in the trunk of a tree in the garden and an investigation begins.

The book moved so slowly that I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like Toby and couldn’t care less about what happened to him. After waiting a really long time for this book at the library, I was very disappointed to not like it. Hopefully I will like the author’s next book more.