Virginia Benson

This could have been such a good book minus all the literary camouflage and overdose of batter-the-reader blasphemes. I had promised myself never to read Tana French again after getting one-third into an earlier book and quitting. Now I won’t be tempted again. This book went on and on about the inner doubts of the protagonist. I wanted to start liking him but never did. Rafferty was the most interesting character of the book but underdeveloped. I didn't like the ending which sealed the fate of my ever liking Toby. The only characters I liked were Hugo and Toby’s mother. Even Melissa disappointed me. The reason for her end is never completely explained. This book is not literature. Literature makes you want to read it again and again. This is definitely not the case with The Witch Elm.