User:Dsvaup/The Wytch Elm/The Witch Elm (book)

= The Wych Elm/The Witch Elm (book) = The Wytch Elm/The Witch Elm is a 2018 psychological-thriller novel by Tana French set in Ireland. The book received praise from The Guardian and LA Times for its use of dialogue and meaningful characters. It was named a Best Book of 2018 by Amazon and other outlets.

Background
The book is the first book outside of French's ongoing series titled The Dublin Murder Squad and is a stand alone novel.

Plot summary
The majority of the novel takes place in the main character's (Toby) childhood home nicknamed "The Ivy House."

After suffering a traumatic brain injury from a robbers breaking into his house, he is sent to live and take care of his Uncle Hugo who is suffering from terminal cancer. After a skull is found in the trunk of the witch elm in the back yard, things start to take a spiral. As detectives start to question the family, Toby is forced to remember the harsh realities of his childhood and what actually took place in his beloved childhood home. Toby has trouble throughout the book trying to remember the aspects of the crime due to his traumatic brain injury.

The end of the book spreads guilt throughout the entirety of the family members, making no single person the direct murderer.

Publication
The book was published by in 2018 by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The hardcover edition released with 528 pages.

The UK edition released with a different spelling of the word "Witch" than the American version, with the title being The Wych Elm.

Critical reception
The novel released to a positive critical response to outlets such as The Guardian and LA Times, with Stephen King even calling the novel "extraordinary."

NPR named the book a "Great Read of 2018."

Although the novel released to positive critical acclaim, fans received the novel reluctantly, as it is the lowest rated book on Amazon by French to date, with over 1,000 reviews.