This is the best of Tana French's books and I have read them all. She is
a wise writer and a deep thinker and I found the book hard to put down.
French claims wanting to portray the effects on individuals who are
impacted by a crime and its investigation -- and she does this -- but in
addition she uncovers webs of connection. In particular, the main
puzzle in this mystery lies in the narrator's knowledge of his own sense
of identity and responsibility, knowledge which shifts and changes throughout the story. I
not only recommend the book, but suggest that a reader take note of
information from the very beginning. A friend of mine called it insanely brilliant.
After a very short interval, I re-read The Witch Elm, which I rarely do, and was astonished at
how subtly French set up the story and its web of consequences. I only
want to add to my original thoughts that I find this book a study in how
privilege works. Toby, the narrator, claims he is "lucky" but he takes that to mean
that he deserves his good fortune -- which exists only because he begins
as one of patriarchy's favored children [male, well off, straight, and so on]. I am very sorry for those
readers who missed the complexly imagined levels of meaning in this
terrific novel.
Stone: Hawk's Eye
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