Memory. It is a strange thing when people remember things differently. (Happens to me all the time when I am with my high school and college friends. Sigh.) And it is especially strange when you can't remember them at all. This book tackles so many things that I think the author overdid it. While I liked her assertion at the beginning that Toby was just danged lucky, even if he didn't realize it because he was basically an entitled spoiled white male who always wins, but that theme didn't even really take root. But the Witch Elm did. Ha.
So, briefly, Toby has a great job, great girlfriend, two fantastic drinking buddies from childhood, two cousins he still hangs out with because they are all only children, and an uncle living alone in the family mansion in the country. A random act of violence (or was it??) changes everything and sends Toby out to the mansion to recover. Of course, his memory is dim after the beating and when stories pop up about the past, mainly in the form of an old skull found out in the garden, he has a hard time reconciling what he thinks happened and what others hint at. Confusing, yes. Too long winded? Definitely. But I could not put it down. What I liked is that the ending is....well, I can't say but it was NOT what I expected. I think the editors could have pared this down greatly though as the red herrings and diversions were frustrating.
I have not read her Dublin murder series and still would read them, but I understand how this book may have disappointed fans. It is well written, but the plot is a bit loose. Still, I rate it four stars for a very original premise, even if the resolution is a bit far fetched. It is fiction, people. And bonus points for a fabulous cover.
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