The Witch Elm is a novel written by Tana French, an Irish crime writer, and published in 2018. The story follows the protagonist Toby Hennessy, a young man who experiences a life-altering event after being brutally attacked in his own home. After the attack, Toby is left with physical and psychological scars, struggling to come to terms with what happened to him. Seeking solace, he retreats to his family's ancestral home, Ivy House, where he hopes to find peace and heal. However, his plans are disrupted when a human skull is discovered inside an old witch elm tree in the garden. As the investigation unfolds, Toby becomes intertwined in a series of secrets, lies, and hidden connections that have haunted his family for years.
Drawn to the warmth of its strong Italian community, Stefano moved his wife and sons, Steve and Andy, to San Jose. Here and on scouting trips for grapes, Stefano found the produce of his childhood—broccoli, cardoon, fennel, and prickly pear—being grown by Sicilian immigrants. This discovery inspired the first trial planting of commercially grown broccoli from the still-vital seeds in Andrea’s pouch. Later that year, the brothers pioneered the first transcontinental rail shipment of ice-packed broccoli from the West to the East Coast, but their greatest innovations were in marketing and advertising.
By 1923, they had broken with their cousins and started the D Arrigo Brothers Company of Massachusetts, but their success resulted from California dreaming. The Munchkins used to attend the festival in numbers but they have dwindled in ranks over the years and the conference last summer may have marked the end of a longstanding tradition.
As the investigation unfolds, Toby becomes intertwined in a series of secrets, lies, and hidden connections that have haunted his family for years. He learns that the mysteries of the past can have a lasting impact on the present, and he must confront his own past to uncover the truth. Throughout the novel, French explores themes of identity, memory, and the complexities of human nature.
Ithaca witch doctor
Call for Papers: Special Section
Theatre History Studies Volume 40 (2021)
Co-editors: Jane Barnette and Chrystyna Dail
Shifting Shapes: Witch Characters and Witchy Performances
Actual or inferred witch characters appear in myriad cultures spanning theatre and performance history. Examples abound: the witch-demons in Kyogen, the virgins in Hrosvitha’s Dulcitius, Adeola and several witch doctor characters in Amos Tutuola’s plays, the weird sisters in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, drag witch Jinkx Monsoon, the man cooking Ufe and Wine in Carmen Boullosa’s Cocinar hombres; the “good/bad” witches in iterations of The Wizard of Oz. Witches might be of any sex or gender, gorgeous or grotesque, corporeal or immaterial.
Witch characters and witchy performances invite unlimited interpretations and offer fertile ground for a wide scope of analyses. Witches serve our stages and rostrums as protagonists, antagonists and foils. They may be healers, seers, match makers, pranksters or causers of irreparable harm. Depending on cultural contexts and historical moments, witches can be celebrated beings, scapegoats, respected elders, odd youngsters, hyper-sexualized teens, powerful insiders, maligned “others” or harbingers of social instability. Furthermore, due to the frequency of an explicit focus on physical bodies, abilities and sexualities, witch characters elicit visceral reactions that prove empowering or debilitating to many traditionally marginalized populations in theatre and performance.
The co-editors of this special section invite papers considering how the stage witch operates as a sign within a specific cultural moment; how witchiness provides a uniquely gendered consciousness; and how performed witch(y) bodies negotiate and challenge contemporary and/or culturally situated attitudes on sexuality, race, age, and ability.
Please email the co-editors with your proposed manuscripts no later than January 1st, 2020.
Please direct Special Section inquiries and manuscripts to:
Jane Barnette Chrystyna Dail
Theatre History Studies is the official journal of the Mid-America Theatre Conference and is published by the University of Alabama Press. Please send manuscripts prepared in conformity with the guidelines in the Chicago Manual of Styleand the University of Alabama Press style sheet located on the MATC website (here). Illustrations are encouraged. Essays should be between 6,000-8,000 words and use endnotes rather than footnotes.
Theatre History Studiesaccepts submissions for its general issue on the full range of topics in theatre history on a rolling deadline. Please send manuscripts for the general section to:
Dr. Lisa Jackson-Schebetta, Editor, Theatre History Studies
Associate Professor, Theater
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
So when we look at America today, what is the situation involving witches and witch hunters? Did Americans support the violation of the 2016 election by Russia and obstruct the effort to reveal the truth? Or are the pure and innocent being falsely accused in hoax by a witch hunter who has overstepped his bounds: “there is no there there”? If the latter is true, then we have a new Joe McCarthy and The Crucible should be updated. If the former is true, then we should hope the musical shout of “Ding-dong, the witch is dead” will rise to the heavens and people will rejoice as if it was V-J Day all over again. The witch killer will have prevailed, the witch hunt will have been successful, and once again there will be peace in the shire.
Toby's journey takes him on a dark and twisting path, where he questions his own sanity and is forced to confront his own flaws and vulnerabilities. The Witch Elm is a psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. French's writing is atmospheric and skillfully weaves together the elements of mystery, family drama, and psychological suspense. The characters are well-developed, with complex motivations and hidden layers. The novel also delves into important questions about justice, morality, and the consequences of our actions. Overall, The Witch Elm is a captivating and thought-provoking novel that explores the depths of human nature and the lingering effects of the past. It is a suspenseful tale that keeps readers engaged from beginning to end, and is sure to leave them pondering the complexities of the human psyche..
Reviews for "The Witch Elm: Exploring the Role of Women in Witchcraft"
1. Jane Smith - 2/5 - I was really looking forward to reading "The Witch Elm" as I had heard so many great things about it. However, I found myself disappointed and underwhelmed. The pace of the book was incredibly slow and it took over half of the book for any real action to take place. The characters were also unlikable and lacked depth, making it difficult to care about their experiences and the overall plot. While the writing style itself was good, I just couldn't get into the story. It's a shame because I had high hopes for this novel, but it fell flat for me.
2. John Doe - 1/5 - "The Witch Elm" was an absolute slog to get through. The main character, Toby, was insufferable and I found it hard to sympathize with him. The plot meandered aimlessly and lacked any suspense or excitement. The ending felt unsatisfying and left many loose ends. Overall, I found this book to be incredibly boring and I struggled to maintain interest throughout its pages. I would not recommend it to anyone looking for a gripping mystery or thriller.
3. Sarah Johnson - 2/5 - As a fan of Tana French's previous works, I was eager to dive into "The Witch Elm." However, I found the story to be slow-paced and lacking the captivating storytelling I had come to expect from the author. The book seemed to be more focused on exploring Toby's character and his internal thoughts, which led to long passages of introspection that felt monotonous and repetitive. The mystery itself was convoluted and did not provide enough intrigue to keep me engaged. Overall, I was disappointed with this novel and it did not live up to my expectations.