'In the Woods' by Tana French
'In the Woods' by Tana French

The good

  • Strong writing. The book is a delight to read, and hard to put down.

  • Terrific characters: everyone in the book feels like a unique, living person, with their own thoughts, beliefs, backstories, etc.

  • Deep relationships: the way characters interact with each other feels real, natural, and messy.

  • Intriguing mystery, led by a somewhat unreliable narrator.

  • A good taste of life in the Police and life in Ireland.

The not so good

  • The book focuses on two mysteries and, without giving away any spoilers, I personally felt that the way the mysteries were resolved was not particularly satisfying. This is the second Tana French book I’ve read, and it seems she intentionally avoids neat cases that are wrapped up with a bow on top where everything is resolved and everyone lives happily ever after. Instead, things are messy, sometimes ambiguous, and no one ends up happy. This is probably more true to life: after a horrific crime is committed, even if the criminal is caught, lives and families are often still ruined, and I think French’s books try to reflect that grim reality. In some ways, this is better, and feels more like real life, but in some ways, it’s worse, in that you feel a bit unsettled and depressed when you’re done reading.

Rating: 4 stars