I’m not sure if this post is spoilerish or not. I’m not giving away anything on the crime resolution, but I have Thoughts on the way the book ends. Many reviews on Goodreads that aren’t hidden make similar references.
This has been in and out of my wish-list for ages – I’d read a review and add it, then I’d read another and would take it out. It happened at least 4 times. But I found myself at the airport, having finished my book during the previous flight and with another 5-hour flight ahead of me (yes, I know, how could I have planned it so badly?!!). In the Woods was the only title in the airport’s small bookshop that rang a bell.
I enjoyed it, but the resolution was extremely frustrating, bordering on the insulting.
It’s a mystery novel that uses the recent plot trend of one mystery forcing the protagonist to go back to his/her childhood neighborhood/small town, the scene of another mystery, that remained unsolved for 20 years.
Thumbs up for the the Dublin setting and the insight into Irish police procedures. The book became famous because it’s more “literary” than your usual crime novel. The language is elaborate, and care is give to description and character building. I’m completely behind French on that, and though she was very successful… but the ending…
Maybe she took the “literary” angle too far. In literary fiction I’m ok with unsolved mysteries, unanswered questions, and bad guys that are known but not brought to justice – but it’s SO frustrating in a crime novel. Especially if the book is part of a series clearly marketed as crime, vs. for example, a stand alone novel that bridges genres, like The Collector.
A different ending would have made In the Woods a very near-perfect mystery novel for me.
I’d be very interested in your thoughts on this, especially if you’ve read it!
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Other thoughts: Fyrefly’s Boom Blog, Rhapsody in Books, Joyfully Retired, Literate Housewife, Always with a Book, Belle Wong, BooksPlease (yours?)
The Sleepless Reader 
6 comments
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February 8, 2018 at 3:04 pm
Jay
I’ve had this on my shelf forever (bought it long ago for a book club meeting that I ended up not being able to go to). The Dublin setting makes me more likely to read. I spent a night there last year when travelling back from The Isle of Man, which felt kind of Ireland-y too. 🙂 I’ll move it up my list a bit.
February 8, 2018 at 4:37 pm
Ti
I really loved this book when I read it so long ago but I never picked up any of the other books in the series and I am not entirely sure why. I thought it was so well done but I do recall having to take my time with it.
February 8, 2018 at 4:45 pm
jenn aka the picky girl
I adored this book and read it back when it first came out, so I can’t recall all that much, but like you, I thought the writing was fantastic. I wish I could remember the resolution!
I will say, though, pick up her others. They’re all really standalones. Some work better than others, but she’s always an interesting writer to me.
February 9, 2018 at 5:14 am
heidenkind
I haven’t read it. I love Dublin as a setting, but I’m leery of books that take genres and make them “literary”
February 13, 2018 at 8:23 pm
priscilla
These are not at all typical crime books, and not a typical series in that they have tangential characters, but one book really has nothing to do with the others. I also wouldn’t say she’s out-and-out trying to be “literary”; it’s just that these are very much character-driven books that are really about the investigators and not the crimes per se, so they aren’t as plot-heavy as a typical crime novel. Like Jenn I think French’s writing is fantastic; I’ve read all her books.
February 14, 2018 at 6:37 pm
Lisbeth Ekelöf
Just loved this book. It was my introduction to Tana French and I have read other books by her which are also good. Something special with this one though. Except the ending. Quite disappointing, but maybe for the best?