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Tana FrenchA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Born in the United States, Tana French attended international schools in multiple countries before moving permanently to Dublin, the setting for most of her crime novels (including The Witch Elm). French’s first novel, In the Woods, begins her best-selling and award-winning Dublin Murder Squad series. Her novels received international praise, and a 2019 television series (Dublin Murders) follows the first two books in the series.
The Witch Elm deviates from French’s other crime novels in that the perspective shifts from that of detective to that of suspect. She wanted to display the power dynamic between a detective and his suspects (Shapiro, Lila. “Tana French on the Witch Elm, #MeToo, and the Divisive Ending of in the Woods.” Vulture, 15 October 2018). Toby, who already feels a loss of control over his life after being assaulted, develops disdain for Detective Rafferty as he invades Ivy House and destroys the garden. He feels “a savagery that made no sense but I didn’t give a fuck” (215) when speaking with the detective. Rafferty himself resorts to questionable tactics to coerce Toby into a confession, taking advantage of his physical ailments and PTSD symptoms. The detective’s motivation in The Witch Elm starkly contrasts with French’s more heroic officials in the Dublin Murder Squad series.
For this novel, French took inspiration from a well-known 1943 police investigation known as “Bella and the Wych Elm” (Shapiro)—in which four children discovered a human skull inside a large hole in a wych elm in Worcestershire, England. Police found an almost complete human skeleton inside the tree; they discovered the hand of the skeleton nearby. Authorities extracted the skeleton and determined it belonged to a woman who died approximately 18 months prior. The woman’s identity remains a mystery, and the skeleton and initial autopsy report have disappeared. Similar to this case, Susanna’s children discover Dominic’s skull in a wych elm; his hand is found some distance from the rest of his remains.
French researched post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in anticipation of writing The Witch Elm. Although Toby remains undiagnosed until the novel’s resolution, he exhibits symptoms of the mental health condition throughout the novel. PTSD often develops after an individual experiences a traumatic event involving bodily harm. Symptoms include flashbacks, avoidance of places or people that trigger memories of the trauma, startling easily, difficulty sleeping, irritability, memory loss, and social isolation (“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” National Institute of Mental Health). While it is common for people to experience these symptoms in the immediate aftermath of a trauma, those with PTSD experience symptoms for months or years, and their symptoms interfere with their everyday lives.
Toby isolates himself from family and friends in the months after Dean Colvin’s assault. His otherwise loving relationship with his mother becomes strained, and he ignores calls from his closest friends. He never returns to work, and the idea of his girlfriend, Melissa, staying overnight in his apartment causes him to experience panic attacks. Toby smokes to hinder his sense of smell, as strong smells (especially sour milk and body odor) trigger flashbacks of the attack. Before moving into Ivy House, he struggles to leave his apartment, describing a “thick miasma of nonspecific fear polluting the air, corrupting everything into a threat” (78) that prevents him from moving beyond the gate in front of his building. He struggles to sleep and regularly takes Xanax, a sedative for treating anxiety. Ironically, investigating a separate violent crime distracts Toby from his own experienced trauma and improves his symptoms. His uncle Hugo’s genealogy work also prevents him from focusing on his symptoms. However, Toby only experiences lasting improvement in his PTSD symptoms with professional help.
By Tana French
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