Why people recommend it
The Witch Elm is a psychological thriller by Tana French that explores themes of memory, family, and trauma through the experiences of a young man recovering from a violent attack. On the Christmas Mailbag! episode of Pod Save America, released on December 24, 2018, Dan Pfeiffer brought up a book by Jonathan Lethem, jokingly referring to it as the funeral detective. Although the title and author name presented in the podcast transcript contained a clear attribution or transcription discrepancy, Pfeiffer noted the work while discussing his reading preferences during the holiday mailbag discussion, identifying the author as one of his absolute favorites of the prior decade. Despite the mix-up in names during the conversation, the mention highlighted the kinds of literary thrillers and narrative fiction that public figures and commentators enjoy in their personal time away from politics. The hosts used the segment to share personal recommendations and discuss various cultural touchstones with their audience, bridging heavy political commentary with lighter conversational topics typical of their year-end review format, ultimately giving listeners a glimpse into the diverse reading habits of people working in the media and political sphere.
Who recommended it
- Dan Pfeiffer Recommended
Dan Pfeiffer — 1 mention
“and then one other book is the funeral detective by Jonathan Lethem who was probably my favorite author of the last decade or so”