Review: In the Woods by Tana French

I’ve been avoiding writing here simply because I thought I had nothing to say.

Anyone who knows me is laughing right now.

But still, I wanted to ease myself back into this routine, and I thought a book review would be an easy, enjoyable way to renew the habit of writing.

So, let’s get to it, shall we?

I have just finished the first novel by an author I have never read before. (I’m a little behind—she published it in 2007.) Tana French’s In the Woods is a murder mystery—a genre I admittedly spend little time reading. Many of them are too predictable for my taste, and even the good ones are rarely emotional, romantic, or descriptive enough for me.

I’ve been very wrong, and I have a lot of reading to make up.

French’s use of words is delicious. The details are distilled down to only the most vivid, the most important, and presented to the reader through a delightfully neurotic, potentially unreliable narrator. Within the first few paragraphs, Detective Rob Ryan explains to the reader “two things: I crave truth. And I lie.”

A careful reader will see clues along the way. But are you sure you can trust the interpretation of those clues? Is it your interpretation or Detective Ryan’s? Can we trust him to tell us the truth even in his own story? Those questions kept me glued to the book. Even now, having finished it, I am still going over the details, asking myself what I missed the first time, what should I have seen coming, what is the truth? Ooh, I have shivers just thinking about it. Emotions soar and plunge, tension is thick, and sympathy for the characters wars with frustration at their blindness and blunders.

However, I cannot give this book a whole-hearted recommendation for a few reasons. This is most certainly an adult read. The subject matter is gruesome in places, and the language is harsh and, in my opinion, gratuitious. There are many instances of strong swearing, and both crimes and motivations are described in some detail. If you are looking for a light-hearted, tidy mystery where good is always good and utterly triumphant, this is not the book for you. If you want a romantic adventure where hearts are always whole in the end, you should probably look elsewhere.

If you are a fan of twisted, intense, wholly absorbing mystery where characters are deeply flawed, and the lines between good and bad can be blurry; if you don’t mind language and aren’t averse to serious and realistic situations; if you crave the exquisite pleasure of dark, tempting, and terrifying brushes with the unknown—perhaps this is the perfect choice for your next read.

Rating: 3.5

Language: Adult—extreme and graphic

Romance: Maladjusted

Resolution: Realistic, Partial