The God of the Woods

This book falls under the heading 'Did I read the same book as everyone else?'.

Seriously. This book has so many five star ratings and I was left wondering multiple times as I read it over 8 grueling days what I was missing. This is the slowest of slow burn reads that is made even slower by the War and Peace list of characters and six, yes SIX, different time frames. 

I knew very little about this book going in and expected it to have a similar feel to Ariel Lawhon's amazing The Frozen River - atmospheric with mystery and history. And there were moments where the book was very atmospheric, and I loved the summer camp setting. But the story lacked focus and instead of firming up the mystery of not one but two missing kids, it instead meandered with long descriptions and the introduction of so many characters who are not heard from again. I'm always a fan of short chapters but the constant changing of POV (and time frame) repeatedly interrupted the momentum that was just starting to build.

I thought of DNFing it many times but then the story would have some momentum, and my interest would be piqued but I can't say I was ever fully pulled into this story. A decent mystery but overly convoluted story with obnoxious rich people and an unsatisfying ending, this book did not live up to its hype for me. 

Final Thoughts:

Loved: short chapters 

Liked: the summer camp setting and premise

Nope: the huge character list, verbose and sloooow moving, pompous and pushy rich white men

My Rating: 2.5 stars

Author: Liz Moore

Genre: Historical Mystery

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Riverhead Books

First Published: July 2, 2024

Read: October 8 - 16, 2024

Book Description from GoodReads: 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.