The God of the Woods is one of my most anticipated books of the summer. It does not disappoint. It’s set in the Adirondack Mountains on a lake with a beautiful old summer house and gardens and is adjacent to a camp the family has built on their land. I loved learning about the generations of the wealthy Van Laar family and how the book goes back and forth in time to tell its tale. Their 8 year old son Bear goes missing in the early 1960’s and then years later, in the mid-1970’s their 13 year old daughter Barbara who is enrolled in the summer camp also goes missing. This book will keep you reading. I really enjoyed the writing, it gives a strong sense of place and of the people involved at the house and within the camp setting. Thank you to Riverhead Books and to NetGalley for an early copy. The God of the woods is available now.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore is definitely my favorite literary thriller
of the year! The Adirondack summer camp setting, strong characters, multiple timelines, and multiple twists and turns make this an excellent summer read. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the advanced digital copy of the book.

With summer in full swing, I’ve been trying to catch up on all the reading I had planned to do, which, admittedly, has not been easy given the many other obligations that I’ve been trying to juggle as well. Having said that, I’m working through my stack slowly but surely, prioritizing the “must-reads” by favorite authors that I’ve been looking forward to for months. One of those favorite authors is Liz Moore, whose 2 previous works Long Bright River (2020) and The Unseen World (2016) I had read and loved. Moore’s newest novel, The God of the Woods, is her most ambitious novel to date and absolutely a brilliantly written masterpiece!

This intricately crafted, multi-layered story weaves together several complex threads, told from the perspectives of multiple complicated (and often morally ambiguous) characters, to create a wonderfully nuanced narrative that I honestly could not put down (despite clocking in at nearly 500 pages, I flew through this one in two sittings). The story begins with a mystery – the disappearance of teenager Barbara Van Laar from a family run summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains (in New York) – but when it is revealed that another Van Laar child had also disappeared from the same family compound 14 years ago (Barbara’s older brother Bear), the possible connection between the two cases leads to a riveting exploration of family dynamics and much, much more. This is truly a wide-reaching novel that covers many themes and social issues, including family and marriage struggles, parent/child relationships, class disparities and the implications of these differences on the rich vs the poor, gender discrimination, land conservation vs exploitation of nature, coming of age, identity and belonging, abuse and neglect vs caretaking and found family, inequalities within the criminal justice system, etc. At the same time, there are also historical elements that Moore incorporated into the narrative that aren’t readily apparent without reading the Author’s Note (which I highly recommend).

There is so much to unpack with this story, yet at the same time, it’s not the overly complex type of story where you have to read it several times to understand what it’s trying to say. In addition to the mystery / suspense element being superbly done (at multiple points when I thought I had figured out the ending, turns out I was completely wrong), the atmospheric nature of the writing (to the point that I felt transported back to a different time and place) gave this a historical fiction feel, while the extensive coverage of various contemporary social issues also made the story and characters highly relatable.

One of the things I love about Moore (in addition to her knack for creating memorable characters that I can’t help stop thinking about) is her ability to take a subject that I’m usually not too keen on reading about (i.e. drug addiction/opioid crisis, computer science and technology, environmentalism) and craft such an emotionally compelling story around it that it piques my interest and I find myself wanting to read/learn more about the subject.

This brilliant, genre-defying novel is the perfect summer read and one that I highly, highly recommend. If this is your first-time reading Moore’s novels, this is a great place to start, but definitely go back and read her previous novels as well, if you can (I myself still have to read her first 2 novels, which are on my list to get to at some point). I can’t wait for what Moore decides to write next – hopefully we’ll hear something soon!

Received ARC from Riverhead Books via NetGalley.

This is a well-written, excellent story that kept me reading and guessing. I am definitely interested in reading Liz Moore’s other books!

The God of the Woods is a great read, a total page turner. And I say that as someone who’s not usually a huge fan of changing points of view and flashbacks from varying points in time. Liz Moore made it all work. The characters were well-drawn, the story was suspenseful without being creepy and the Adirondack Mountains provided a flawless setting.

I could not put this book down! It's a slow burn mystery that has just the right balance of plot & character development.

So well written! The way Moore intersects 6 different timelines with multiple characters is impressive. I couldn't put this one down once I hit the halfway mark! This one deserves all the hype it's been getting!

Early one morning Louise, a camp counselor, returns to the bunk to find the owner’s daughter Barbara Van Laar missing. The Van Laar’s older child disappeared without a trace when he was 14 and so now that history is repeating itself the town (many who work at the camp) is conducting another panicked search. Last time many clues were ignored and and one of the workers in town was blamed; now it looks like history is repeating itself because they want to blame Louise. However this time the town is not going to allow the wealthy summer residents blame one of their own and everyone is taking a closer look at the family . This is a story of multi generational trauma interwoven with class divide and a mystery thrown in.

I read this almost a week ago and it took this long to write my review because I was deciding what to rate this one. I inhaled this; it was excellent - it had the mystery which kept me turning the pages, the writing was wonderful and it had family drama - a trifecta. I have been recommending this to everyone because it has something for everyone (except romance) - and it is a top read of the year for me. This has stuck with me since I read it and I do suggest if it’s own your TBR to read it.

4.5 stars

Thank you to Riverhead Books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Another excellent book by Liz Moore! Great story, great writing, excellent character development. I usually prefer linear storytelling, but this book worked for me despite the back and forth. I'm almost willing to reread it in order but I've got too many other books to read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Atmospheric mystery/suspense/family saga. The characters were diverse and interesting. Bear’s reveal was a surprise and revealed in a way that was insightful about everyone involved. Barbara wasn’t as much of a surprise. Sometimes the story felt slow to build or progress, but overall this was an enjoyable read., and as a Bostonian, I appreciated the fitting nods to the Alcotts.
Thank you #Netgalley and #Riverhead publishing for the ARC e-book

Wow. This book. If you liked Moore's previous novel, Long Bright River you will love The God of the Woods. Not because the plots are similar, they are quite different; but because Moore's writing is so beautiful, so engaging, so engrossing you feel like you are living in the book. If Long Bright River provided a deep and dark look at the drug problem in North Philadelphia, The Good of the Woods shows the price of wealth and status in 1950-1970s rural New York.
The Van Laar family tragically lost a child and now, thirteen years later, their second child is missing. Are the disappearance connected? What is the family hiding? All of these questions were constantly running through my mind as I read this book. I loved the alternating points of view, how we get to see the inner workings of the Van Laar family but also the perspective of outsiders. I sometimes found it difficult to know what time period we were in, even though there were years listed at the top of the chapter I found them difficult to read (I don't know if this was a quirk of the kindle version). But that is a minor complaint considering how amazingly complex this story was. I loved the ending, how we get closure about what happened to both Bear and Barbara. I wish I could go back and read this for the first time again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Thanks to Riverhead Books and Liz Moore for the chance to read ‘The God of the Woods’! The cover is beautiful and the description immediately grabbed my attention. I think this one will have a wider appeal to the literary fiction crowd than a lot of other mysteries might. Its strongest attribute in my opinion is how fleshed out and real the characters feel. I found myself literally crossing my fingers at one point in the hopes that things would turn out well for one specific character! It may be a bit too back and forth (character wise and time shift wise) for some but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The God of the Woods is a solid read that unfurls quietly, full of complex characters and layered themes of wealth, gender roles, and sexuality. From the summary, I wasn’t sure if we would get more typical, fast-paced mystery or slower, character-driven literary, but it falls right in the center. The pacing is languorous but through it, a camp in the Adirondacks comes into relief, with the wealthy Van Laar’s who preside over it and the sleepy, struggling town who staff it. In the 1970s, Barbara Van Laar disappears from this camp, an event disturbingly mirrored by the disappearance of her brother a decade ago, and as it transpires, we unravel the prestigious Van Laar family and how their influence has rippled into the region’s residents for generations.

The book isn’t without its flaws. This narrative coalesces around Barbara’s brother's mysterious disappearance, so much so that it begins to pull back from the more compelling case of Barbara’s disappearance in the finale. This decision to focus on the prodigious, golden son over the black sheep daughter feels at odds with the story’s moral center: that the less-resourced, underprivileged are held underfoot by the wealthy. But it’s a small thing: the story still enjoyable and the thematic notes resonant. This is the perfect summer read for those wanting a blend of literary and suspense, and enjoy more character-centered mysteries in the vein of Big Little Lies.

Liz Moore delivers a great summer camp summer read in The God of the Woods. It did something that I love in a book: it completely engulfed me while I was reading it. Sitting out on my porch in the evening and hearing the night sounds of summer while reading the novel was a treat. Ms. Moore's use of varying points of view and movements in time kept me on my toes and invested in the book.

To say this book was a page turner is an understatement. I wanted to read this constantly, but had to take breaks because we were vacationing in a cabin in the woods of North Carolina and things were hitting too close to home. This book is like an adult campfire story, and it is told so well. The way the author weaves the story forward thru the voices of the different characters, even when going back in time, is spot on. The characterization is great and the atmosphere created at both the camp and the Van Laars house helps build the suspense. Loved every page!

People are calling this the book of the summer and I can absolutely see why!!

Liz Moore's The God of the Woods is a compelling exploration of class, family, and the enduring impact of trauma. With a richly drawn world of privilege and its stark contrast against a backdrop of economic struggle, Moore crafts a narrative that is both captivating and unsettling.

The novel's intricate plot, centered around the disappearance of a wealthy young woman from a secluded summer camp, unfolds slowly, revealing layers of complex characters and their interconnected lives. Moore's prose is evocative, painting vivid portraits of both the lush Adirondack setting and the psychological landscapes of her characters.

While the novel's exploration of themes is thought-provoking, the pacing can feel deliberate at times, and the resolution might leave some readers wanting a more definitive conclusion. Nonetheless, The God of the Woods is a challenging and rewarding read that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

If you enjoy character-driven narratives with complex social commentary, this book is worth exploring.

Brilliant. It started out so good and it just kept opening up and getting better and better. Highly recommend!

The God of the Woods is A LOT. It is, however a lot to like. Liz Moore delivers to us 6 time frames for the setting, seven POVS, and seven sections (each divided into several chapters).

The story is fascinating, and actually, the reading of it reminded me of peeling away layers of an onion. At first, I found the narration is be a bit befuddling, but once I got a little further into the novel, I was hooked and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

The story centers around the wealthy Van Laar family, their mansion (graced with the name Self-Reliance), and perhaps more importantly, the summer camp (which is a survivalist camp for pre-teens and teens) adjacent to their land. The setting is in the Adirondacks and the time periods are the late 1950s, 1961, 1973, and the summer months of June, July, and August of 1975.

The book opens with a disappearance of a camper near the end of the 1975 season. This disappearance is strangely related to another disappearance in the same area in 1961, involving the same family, the Van Laars.

As the plot unravels, a veil of deceit falls over the camp and the densely surrounding wooded area. True personalities are exposed and vile traits are brought to light.

If you love a good mystery with an intricately woven plot, grab this one. It hit shelves July 2nd. Thank you, NetGalley and Riverhead Books, for this intriguing mystery/thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

1975 the daughter of the owners of a summer camp, Barbara Van Laar, is missing. Her brother went missing 14 years ago never to be found. Told from multiple point of views over multiple time periods. i got very wrapped up in the story and eager to keep reading.

Fantastic narration.

I am not a thriller/crime fiction person generally, but I really enjoyed Long Bright River, which I read for a book discussion I led, and appreciated how Moore's "thriller" was so focused on character. When I saw the ARC pop up for The God of the Woods, I hopped on it.

This book was, again, very well written, and heavily focused on character. Moore's characters are distinctive and easy to sink into. The setting was immersive, and I think it will bring back memories for anyone who's attended a summer camp of any kind. I enjoyed the ending, which I don't want to ascribe any adjectives to for fear of spoilers. It did feel long, though, and that, combined with the fact that I think crime fiction just doesn't hit all of the right notes for me personally, even when it's excellent, is what kept this from a 5-star rating.