The Wych Elm, by Tana French

[nwhyte]

Second paragraph of third chapter:‘Are you OK?’ Melissa asked in an undertone, reaching over to squeeze my hand.
A rather good novel about young folks in an extended contemporary Dublin middle-class family, who find a mysterious death from ten years ago coming back to haunt them. The somewhat clueless narrator is very well portrayed; as a straight

Comments

Tana French The Wych Elm

[anonymous]

My Book Group read this book and would agree with you that it was a good read and with your comments about the depiction of that generation of Dubliners. However they commented that the denouement took advantage of quite a bit of poetic license and rather stretched credulity at least a little. Also I think you are a bit hard on the principal character. He was actually brain damaged after an assault and I thought the author used this as a very interesting device to show how memories can be altered and blurred….and it added immeasurably to the tensions of the book. Jean Whyte

Re: Tana French The Wych Elm

[nwhyte]

Hi! I take the point about his brain damage skewing his reactions, but I don't think that was why he didn't believe his cousins about the bullying they experienced, or about his female cousin's obstetrical disaster; that was just general cluelessness, well portrayed.