This novel starts at an Adirondack camp in 1975 which is owned by a wealthy banking family who live in the mansion also on the land. It's told from multiple points of view by unreliable narrators covering incidents from the 1950s, 1961, inter of 1973, and June, July and August 1975.
I thought that the characters were well-developed, although a little too much information about their back stories did slow down the book.
Camp Emerson was described well ((and the map at the beginning of the book helped).
The story centered around one camper, Barbara Van Laar, (daughter of the camp owners) who disappeared one night, which brought all of the counselors, campers, the local fire department, and ultimately the NY State crime investigators. The story also brought into play the disappearance of Barbara's brother Bear, 14 yrs earlier.
I loved the way the author merged the 2 stories, and provided both Van Laar and Hewitt (the father and daughter who run the camp) backgrounds.
The fire dept and state police did thorough searches for both Barbara, as well as Bear. The author brought in "the god of the woods -Pan- who liked to trick people; to confuse and disorient them until they lost their bearings and their minds" and creatively wove little tricks (red herrings) into the story. I liked the way she wrapped up both disappearances - clever and unexpectedly.
My only issue with the book,(and it may only be relevant to the NetGalley ARC) was that it would have helped to have the date of the chapter highlighted or in bold, to allow the reader to recognize the frame of reference that the person was referring to, because the crimes were so similar.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, rating it 4 1/2 * and will highly recommend this book to my book clubs and library.

"The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore is a richly woven tale set in the Adirondack Mountains in 1975, starting with the disappearance of 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar from her family's summer camp. This isn't the first tragedy the Van Laar family has faced—Barbara’s older brother disappeared fourteen years ago and was never found.

Moore masterfully blends the secrets of the Van Laar family with the dynamics of the local community, creating a multi-threaded narrative that is both compelling and immersive. The characters, especially the women, are well-developed and their stories explore deep themes like motherhood, gender roles, and class. The setting is lush and vibrant, vividly bringing to life the woods surrounding Camp Emerson.

The alternating timelines between the 1950s and 1970s add depth to the story, slowly peeling back the layers of mystery and family drama. Moore's writing is beautiful and evocative, truly transporting the reader to the era and place. However, I found myself somewhat a victim of the hype. I was expecting something more literary and less focused on the mystery element.

That said, "The God of the Woods" is still a very good book. The plot is well-constructed and the short, sharp chapters increase the tension as the story unfolds. The novel’s strength lies in its character development and the way it handles complex themes with nuance and empathy. My heart shattered as the events culminated in a tragically sad and painful revelation.

While it didn’t completely match my expectations, "The God of the Woods" is an emotionally powerful read with a lot to offer. It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you appreciate richly detailed stories with well-drawn characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In August 1975, Barbara van Laar, a camper, goes missing from Camp Emerson. This is even worse than it sounds, for two reasons: first, the Van Laars are the wealthy owners of the preserve where Camp Emerson sits, and second, they lost a son, Bear, fifteen years prior, when he, too, went missing.

Moore has written a captivating mystery with a large cast of characters, layered with issues of social class, of gender, of the duties we owe (or don’t) to our family members. Add the Adirondack setting, and summer camp intrigue, and I was hooked.

Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead for providing an advanced copy of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

THE GOD OF THE WOODS was recommended to me a friend of mine at a literary agency. She told me this would be the book of the summer and she was 100% correct. I devoured this book…as I know our customers will.

A perfect slow burn that kept me glued to my chair. I was wary approaching this novel because crime fiction with child victims often feel particularly voyeuristic, but Moore dealt compassionately with all of her characters and, in turn, her readers.

Add this literary mystery to your beach read TBR. This book has multiple POVs- an unreliable narrator, a first of her kind state investigator and a supporting cast of characters you will wonder about as you turn the pages.

Two children from the same aristocratic family disappear in the Adirondacks- who is responsible and who is the woman haunting the woods around the summer camp?

I’d love to read another by Liz Moore when I have the chance!

My plan is to read The Bright Sword and move on to a couple of historical fiction novels that are intriguing me.

What’s next on your summer reading list?
#currentlyreading #bookreviews #bookreview #thegodofthewoods #arcreading #newbooks #bookstagram

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

When I started reading this book I was at about 20% and I thought "I really am not getting into this book." but it's a book by Liz Moore so I gave it the benefit of the doubt.

Liz Moore showed up and kicked my butt.

The end.

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

Perfect summer thriller with gothic vibes. I love love love anything to do with camp, and this exceeded my expectations. The characters were so dimensional and crafted. I loved the plot and twists that come along with it. This was so creepy and atmospheric. I recommend

Maureen Corrigan wrote that “The God of the Wood” should be “your next summer mystery,” and it should. Moore has crafted a literary suspense novel that is propulsive and immersive. NPR has compared “The God of the Wood” to Donna Tarte’s classic, “The Secret History.” The novel opens at Camp Emerson in the Adirondacks, a sought after destination for children of well-to-do New Englanders and Manhattanites. The camp, and the land on which it is situated, is owned by the Van Laars, an Albany banking family known to be “outdoorsy” but staid. The camp itself has been the province of the Hewitts, and T.J. (Tessie Jo) Hewitt, the serious and brusque director of Camp Emerson, had succeeded her father, Vic, as camp director and preserve groundskeeper in the summer of 1970 when Vic’s physical and mental infirmities could no longer be ignored.

In August of 1975, Alice Van Laar, is looking forward to a summer without Barbara “her rages, her storms, the hours she spends weeping aloud, disturbing the staff,” and prevails upon a reluctant T.J. to accept her 12-year-old daughter, Barbara, into the camp. Alice has been married to Peter Van Laar for 24 years, but he is stern, intolerant, and vicious, and Alice subsists on prescription pills generously doled out by her physician.

Barbara arrives at camp in punk attire, and stuns her shy and withdrawn bunkmate, Tracy Jewel, by befriending her. Tracy had been dumped in camp after her newly divorced father, who had a new girlfriend and a fancy rental house, declared that he did not want his daughter lying around all summer. Tracy had plans to “go unnoticed, hiding behind books whenever possible. Staying out of it. Blending in,” but she thrives under Barbara’s attention.

Barbara goes missing from camp. Her disappearance is first noticed by Louise Donnadieu, a counselor at Camp Emerson who had gone out that evening and left a counselor-in-training, Annabelle, on duty. Athletic, intelligent, and pretty, Louise had attracted the attention of John Paul. When Louise had to drop out of college, John Paul had suggested that she take a job at a summer camp owned by his godparents. John Paul represented the chance for Louise to enjoy a better life, and to rescue her younger brother from their alcoholic mother, but John Paul disappointed Louise by ignoring her while he was a guest of the Van Laars, and she enjoyed a mild flirtation with a good-looking dishwasher.

Barbara is not the first Van Laar to disappear. Her older brother, Bear, had disappeared 14 years ago, before Barbara was born. Many of the residents of the depressed town of Shattuck, which abutted the Van Laar preserve, who were trying to find Barbara had been involved in the search for Bear, including Carl Stoddard, a groundskeeper at the Preserve since 1956, who was the last person to see Bear and was the recipient of a cryptic message from the young boy. The indefatigable state trooper, Judyta Luptack, rounds out the characters whose point of view is alternated throughout the novel.

In addition to writing a tantalizing missing person mystery (with an escaped notorious murderer lurking in the woods) and an atmospheric family drama, Moore has crafted a solid social drama which reflects the strict divide between the Van Laars and their wealthy guests and the residents of Shattuck. Thank you Riverhead Books and Net Galley for an advanced copy of a novel that I will highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Riverhead Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful book by Liz Moore. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

In August 1975, a teenager camper is discovered missing from her bunk at summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains. However, Barbara is also the daughter of the family that owns the camp and this isn't the first time that a Van Laar child has gone missing. Barbara's older brother disappeared 14 years ago and has never been found, nor has their family been the same since. A panicked search begins.

This story draws you in slowly until you can't put it down. Told from multiple POV and timelines, we hear from. Louise, camp counselor,; Tracy, Barbara's bunkmate; Barbara's mother, Alice; and a young police investigator, Judyta, who was a wonderful character you'll be rooting for. This is an ambitious book but it is brilliant in execution, with multiple mysteries spanning generations. It is richly atmospheric - I live in the foothills of the Adirondacks, and loved all the local mentions, and the deep woods add another mysterious element, complete with a few ghost stories. It also delves into classism, sexism, motherhood, especially in the time periods covered in this book. The ending was pitch perfect. Highly recommended and a must read this summer!

An amazing book! I loved the sense of place this book provides—both for the setting and the time periods. The main action takes place in the summer of 1975 at a camp in the Adirondacks, long before cell phones and social media. Maybe a simpler time, but also a time when it was much easier to become lost.

Liked by
chrissiewhitley
and 159 others
novelvisits's profile picture
5⭐️ 𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚢 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠: (Thanks to @riverheadbooks #gifted.) The hype is real! 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗢𝗗𝗦 by Liz Moore is THE book of the summer for fans of literary mysteries or really for any fan of a well-told story. So many have already weighed in on this book that I knew it was going to be a hit for me. I was tempted to read it months ago, but held off until mid-June and am glad I did. While reading, I was surrounded by mountains, trees all around, so my setting beautifully enhanced the reading experience. Now, enough about me!⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
The story opens in 1975 at Camp Emerson nestled deep in the heart of the Adirondacks. As the camp awakens, it’s quickly discovered that Barbara Van Laar is missing. Barbara isn’t your average camper. She’s the 13-year old daughter of the camp’s wealthy owners and the sister of Bear Van Laar who went missing before Barbara was even born. Bear was never found. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴 seamlessly weaves together the stories of both these missing children, their parents and grandparents, the camp director, the rookie detective investigating Barbara’s case and much more. Though it may sound like a thriller, this book is most definitely not that. Yes, there’s a lot of mystery to the story, but it evolves in a more literary fashion. You get to know the characters deeply and the revelations come steadily, but not rapidly. Instead, through the eyes of many different players, Moore unveils not only what happened to these siblings, but how and why. Her execution was flawless. At just under 500 pages, I flew through the book and was left with a whopper of a hangover. Liz Moore is high on my auto-buy list and should be on yours, too! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣⁣⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
“She explained. It came from the Greek god Pan: the god of the woods. He liked to trick people, to confuse and disorient them until they lost their bearings, and their minds.”

An atmospheric read - family drama, murder mystery and class tale all rolled into one. I fell in love and hate with the richly drawn characters. Loved the multiple points of view. This one kept me guessing until the very end. I will be recommending this title to patrons at the library. It's been added to my e-book cart!

HAPPY PUB DAY TO The God of the Woods!!!! I have seen this arc all over bookstgram and was HONORED when I was approved for the arc. This was a whirlwind from the first page.

This is a multilayered thriller with brilliant character development, setting and the author's ability to set a dark undertone.

Short recap is, 13 year old Babara goes missing from camp Emerson is 1975. She is the daughter of the high society family of the Van Laars, and the sister to Bear, who went missing a decade before. Coincidence?

Alternating between multiple POV and linear timelines, this story navigates us through all of the people in Barbara's life, including her stern and disappointed father, her mindly absent mother, Louise, the camp counselor, Tracey, her best friend at camp along side Detective Judyta, an investigator working the case. It also weaves the two missing siblings together through the mother's POV and the ending is truly haunting. This was an easy 5 stars.

My only issue with this (not a con more like a note to self) there are a lot of characters and they are all introduced quickly, so take plenty of mental notes so you don't get confused. Thank you so much Penguin Group Riverhead and Net Galley for the gifted arc!

This book is so good!

13-year old Barbara Van Laar goes missing from her summer camp bunk. She’s the daughter of the richy-rich owners of the property. Even worse, her brother went missing from the same spot years earlier.

This story is told from multiple perspectives and nonlinear timelines. Be patient with it and let it unfold. The characters are so fully developed there is big payoff for learning about each of them.

The writing and setting are so rich you will be able to visualize the camp, the wilderness, and the family home, ironically called Self Reliance. It is a perfectly drawn setting for rich people behaving badly. Each person is more tragic and damaged than the next.

I love the phrase “literary fiction mystery” coined by my book pal. That is the perfect classification for this book and that mash up of genres is why I loved it so much.

It was worth the wait, it was worth almost 500 pages. Liz Moore's writing is deeply immersive, bringing readers into the 1970s camp environment and the greater society in the decades before. At once a mystery and a poignant story about family and community, this read went too fast despite its length, and I did not want to put it down. Each perspective was uniquely interesting, and there are so many fascinating and well drawn characters in this one. It's the kind of book that deeply works its way inside you.

Such an original story! Absolutely loved this book! I even made it my BOTM book! Wanted to add a physical copy to my shelf!

Definitely my favorite read of 2024 so far! This book had so many layers to it - beyond the mystery there was so much interesting commentary on social class and gender roles with a feminist slant that I loved. I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since finishing it! Highly recommend and will be singing the praises of this one to anyone who will listen!

A delightful story that will stay in readers minds for a long time!!!!! I read this story from cover to cover in one sitting

A fascinating novel that reveals secrets in differing timelines to come together in a lovely ending. The Van Laars appear to be beset by tragedies - two children go missing 14 years apart. But we learn about the Van Laars from the time Peter III marries Alice, the parents of the two missing children, through present day. I was sucked right into this atmospheric novel (set on an estate/land preserve/summer camp). So many of the characters are interesting - especially Tracy, Louise, Judy and Barbara. It's also the story of second chances - who gets them and how is part of the mystery reveal, so that's all I'm going to say.

"When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found."

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Riverhead Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.