The story also smartly deals with the impact of PTSD, family bonds, and the idea of “luck.”įrench explained to Vulture that the seed of the book comes from the idea of luck and empathy: “Everybody has ways in which they’ve been lucky in life, and everybody also has ways in which they’ve definitely rolled snake eyes.

It’s spooky I found myself wanting to flip to the end just to see what happens, and that everyone would be okay (Don’t worry, I resisted the impulse). It’s around 500 pages, but I read it all in a day. There’s not much else I want to say about the plot - too much would spoil you - or the titular witch elm (really wych elm, a type of tree), but know this: it’s really, really good. And then, two thieves break into his apartment, beat him up, and leave him nearly dead. We learn he’s well-liked, good looking, and easy going. We get situated to his job (PR for an art gallery). Set in and around Dublin, Ireland, the story starts slow: we meet Toby, his buddies, his girlfriend. The story beings ominously: “I’ve always considered myself to be, basically, a lucky person.” Well, I guess you don’t necessarily need to read this ominously - but it foreshadows that the luck of Toby (our protagonist) is going to turn. (I kinda thought there were going to be witches, to be honest.) I knew it was a crime/mystery novel, I knew my mom was reading it for her book club, and that was about it. I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading Tana French’s The Witch Elm.

The witch elm