Name: The God of the Woods
ISBN: 9780593418918

Liz Moore

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 Novel

The God of the Woods

From the New York Times bestselling author of Long Bright River, an immersive, propulsive novel about a missing child whose disappearance sends equal shockwaves through three very different worlds—an opulent Adirondack summer estate, the rustic teen summer camp that operates in its shadow, and the blue-collar community that serves them both. When Barbara Van Laar is discovered missing from her summer camp bunk one morning in August 1975, it triggers a panicked, terrified search. Losing a camper is a horrific tragedy under any circumstances, but Barbara isn’t just any camper; she’s the daughter of the wealthy family that owns the camp—as well as the opulent nearby estate and most of the land in sight. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared in this region: Barbara’s older brother also went missing fourteen years ago, never to be found. How could this have happened yet again? Out of this gripping beginning, Liz Moore weaves a richly textured drama, both emotionally nuanced and propelled by a double-barreled mystery. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded drama brings readers into the hearts of characters whose lives are forever changed by this eventful summer. Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet, The God of the Woods is a story of love, inheritance, identity, and second chances, a thrillingly layered drama about the tensions between a family and a community, and a history of secrets that will not let any of them go.

I really liked the idea and the plot, however was a bit unsure about the pacing and the constant switches in perspective..

Lili

Summer camp thriller book set in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. At the Van Laers summer home, preserve and summer camp. The daughter of the family’s goes missing while attending the summer camp for the first time. But the thing is she’s not the first in her family to go missing in these woods. Years before her older brother went missing in the woods and never returned. 

I found this book to be very beautifully written however I did struggle sometimes with the time jumps. However, in the end, they did piece together well. When you have the full story. It all makes sense. I did not expect the ending however, I really enjoyed this story as a whole.

Leah Diaz 

Summer camp thriller book set in the Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York. At the Van Laers summer home, preserve and summer camp. The daughter of the family’s goes missing while attending the summer camp for the first time. But the thing is she’s not the first in her family to go missing in these woods. Years before her older brother went missing in the woods and never returned. 

I found this book to be very beautifully written however I did struggle sometimes with the time jumps. However, in the end, they did piece together well. When you have the full story. It all makes sense. I did not expect the ending however, I really enjoyed this story as a whole.

Patsy Koss

This was a really well-written thriller. I felt like I was in the forest the whole time. The author wrote each character’s perspective in such a detailed way that I understood all of the decisions they made. I do wish the ending tied up more of the loose ends but that could be me just wanting more of these characters. Would recommend. 

Angel Hammon

I think the ending was perfect in a way. I did not think the mom was the accidental reason behind Bears death that was so sad and heartbreaking. I do wish we could have had one more Alice chapter on what happens to her after they tell her. I love that Barbara was still alive & all the other character lessons that were learned throughout the book! 

Brianna Hickey 

I want to start off by saying that nothing prepared me for the actual truth in the ending of this book. I don’t necessarily mean this in a good or even a bad way either, but maybe my imagination was going wild hoping this would pick up as the book is slow paced.

I really enjoyed the writing and I more than anything love that this was a “eat the rich” type of book. Exposing the secrets of a very rich family while serving justice and clearing people’s names who were once wronged. I wish we would’ve gotten a bit more on Alice’s POV after the discovery and how that affected her and just more of what happens to the family in general. We’re kinda just left in the dark of the aftermath.

The one thing I disliked, however, was the time skips and different perspectives. I don’t think it was too many POV’s but I do believe the time skips were a bit overwhelming and it can get confusing at first if you’re not keeping track of them. 

lily

I want to start off by saying that nothing prepared me for the actual truth in the ending of this book. I don’t necessarily mean this in a good or even a bad way either, but maybe my imagination was going wild hoping this would pick up as the book is slow paced.

I really enjoyed the writing and I more than anything love that this was a “eat the rich” type of book. Exposing the secrets of a very rich family while serving justice and clearing people’s names who were once wronged. I wish we would’ve gotten a bit more on Alice’s POV after the discovery and how that affected her and just more of what happens to the family in general. We’re kinda just left in the dark of the aftermath.

The one thing I disliked, however, was the time skips and different perspectives. I don’t think it was too many POV’s but I do believe the time skips were a bit overwhelming and it can get confusing at first if you’re not keeping track of them. 

This was quite the story. Apart Lit fic, part mystery, and a whole lot of characters to follow. This book took me so long to get through and it was only really in the second half of it that I felt it got moving. The timelines threw me a little to start with. I would suggest not worrying too much about this as it does eventually come together. I really enjoyed it though. The mystery of what on earth went on drives you threw the slower parts. Some might say rushed end, but I think it was exactly how I wanted it to be. 

Aims

I usually don’t enjoy jumpy timelines but this one kept me entertained. Every time I thought I knew the outcome I was surprised. 

Nicole Neuman

Will likely completely forget the plot in about a year but wholly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone else as a fun summer read. Light, easy, pretty gripping. Entirely too many characters but I think that’s sort of the point? It’s probably supposed to feel a bit overwhelming in character number so that 1. you don’t expect much character development and 2. so that the author can illustrate a societal cast system better- totally assuming here but maybe it’s easier to paint that image with more characters rather than less. Anyway- liked it for the plot. Again not much character development and wasn’t overly impressed with her writing style. 

Lily Dendy

Zachary Roberts

౨ৎ | ‎“it’s the van laars, and families like them, who have always depended on others.”

fifty characters that i could never keep track of? check. 

beautiful writing. just not my type of book. 

౨ৎ | ‎“it’s the van laars, and families like them, who have always depended on others.”

— ★ 2/5

rich people being assholes? check. 

fifty characters that i could never keep track of? check. 

unsatisfied with the ending? check. 

beautiful writing. just not my type of book. 

A bit drawn out, not even in content but in language. It felt like no one in the book had stakes or a sense of urgency of any sort, which is wild when most of the book is about trying to quickly locate missing children. 

Jacque

Mystery of what happened to a missing girl at summer camp. Told across multiple POV and timelines. Not my typical read but was very engaging

Abigail F

Not great.  Wanted to DNF but pushed through.  Story was choppy and all over the place.  Disappointing end as well.  Narrator was “meh”

Foggylong

rachel

this book is so good. so impressed by the writing structure, jumps in perspective and time, and overall how well-crafted it is

didn’t really care for most of the characters (besides Louise and judyta) but loved how everything tied in at the end

Ruby Emmeline Fisher

The god of the woods hooked me with its intricate multi-person, multi-timeline narrative. The story leaps from character to character and time period without a clear pattern, requiring you to piece it all together. and keeps you guessing. The unique storytelling style kept me engaged until the very end. My only minor gripe was the conclusion—it leans towards a basic explanation and solid logic when I was anticipating a more twisted, earth-shattering revelation. Yet, this simplicity adds to the story's believability, making it a satisfying read.

A monumental balancing act in bringing all those timelines and characters together, while building non-stop momentum! 

The ending kept changing in my mind as I read it, and what ultimately transpires after all that intrigue is a tad disappointing. 

c0up

A monumental balancing act in bringing all those timelines and characters together, while building non-stop momentum! 

The ending kept changing in my mind as I read it, and what ultimately transpires after all that intrigue is a tad disappointing. 

Worth the ride!

It was a thrilling read. A little boy goes missing in the woods that his family owns. 20 years after, his older sister goes missing in the same woods. As the search goes on, the police uncover more secrets about the family that could either find the girl or destroy the family. 

Naomi P

This whole year has been either some of the best books I have ever read or some absolute... challenges (/neg) of books to get through. This novel nearly put me into a reading slump. Two weeks to finish an audiobook is just way too much.

The beginning was interesting and I thought the ending was well-conceived but everything inbetween made me just not care by the end of the novel. The added POV's which nearly served as an exploration of the female characters would have worked better if there was much to those characters in the first place. Otherwise, it was mostly filler. What a missed opportunity.

This whole year has been either some of the best books I have ever read or some absolute... challenges (/neg) of books to get through. This novel nearly put me into a reading slump. Two weeks to finish an audiobook is just way too much.

The beginning was interesting and I thought the ending was well-conceived but everything inbetween made me just not care by the end of the novel. The added POV's which nearly served as an exploration of the female characters would have worked better if there was much to those characters in the first place. Otherwise, it was mostly filler. What a missed opportunity.

Best book I have ever read in my entire life. 

Greta Keller

Overall a compelling and fun summer read. Moore is excellent at weaving together multiple character POVs and timelines, then connecting them back to solving the mystery. I also really enjoyed the summer camp setting she portrayed. Only complaint is it dragged in a few places, then ended a tad bit abruptly. 

The God of the Woods A Novel

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