The God of the Woods: A Novel

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" AND "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR
PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR
“Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR
“This expertly paced thriller …has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries.” —The New Yorker
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.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" AND "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR
PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR
“Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR
“This expertly paced thriller …has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries.” —The New Yorker
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.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.
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✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI
Readers say *The God of the Woods* features richly drawn characters and a vividly atmospheric Adirondack setting that blends generational tension with...
I was intrigued. I enjoyed it
This book was a little too all over the place to be able to easily and closely follow. I listened to this entire story on audio and even with the book in my hands, I could not keep track of all the characters combined with all the time jumps. It had a strong start, but it quickly fell away from that storyline and left me disappointed, wanting to resolve the first mystery while the author was trying to get me all lost in the woods.
Great read! Instead of chapters, there are sections with subsection. Each subsection is titled with characters in the book & the year their "story" took place. I apparently live under a rock because I had no idea popular this book really was. I picked it up because of its title. I practice wiccan & am very connected to the earth & nature. I was hooked from the beginning. And the twists were amazing!!! It's quite a large book, but definitely worth it!
@accidental_book_reviewer
I had a hard time getting into this book, initially, due to the amount of characters and timelines being cumbersome to follow 😅 I appreciated how everything came together in the end.
Take a family that only wants sons named Peter and there’s bound to be issues. The reputation of the family and especially the sons is more important than anything. Well, that’s just a recipe for all kinds of not good. The secret at the heart of this book will cause an explosion in the Van Laar empire. Liz Moore is so good with the family drama.
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