The God of the Woods. By Liz Moore 🎧 Listen to Free Audiobook Online

https://amzn.to/3NHSXxQ Been waiting to read this book for MONTHS & I'm glad I finally got to! The winner of last year's Jimmy Fallon Summer Book Club, Liz Moore's "The God of the Woods" uncovers the truth behind the sudden disappearance of Barbara Van Laar, the 13-year-old daughter of an affluent family, from Camp Emerson in August of 1975. This is a case which becomes even more critical given the disappearance of her then 8-year-old older brother, Bear, almost exactly 14 years prior. The story is told through alternating POVs & jumping timelines as a way of putting pieces together & getting readers closer to what really happened.

Some authors make nonlinear narratives confusing, but I found it rather easy to follow, mainly because Moore's characters are fairly fleshed out enough to separate them out, but also because each POV informs the others, often filling in the blanks to the overarching mystery. These helped in guiding me to certain theories as the plot unfolded, & I found the big twists were fairly predictable, but the minor ones were sufficiently satisfying. The only POV I didn't emotionally connect to was Barbara's mother, Alice, who's an insufferable wet dish rag--she's submissive, neurotic, simple-minded, willing to dumb herself down, critical of her daughter's interests out of concern they would ruin the family's reputation, & virtually spineless (which goes against my ideal of what a woman should be)--who would do nothing to change her situation even if given the opportunity because she's been convinced by the people around her that she's dumb & erratic & she plays right into it. Whether that's just her being a product of her time or her privileged upbringing, even when knowing how difficult it must be to lose both her children, at the end of the day you just want to pity her. Her chapters were difficult to get through, but the rest I had no trouble with.

It was also an interesting read given the time in which it takes place because it reminds readers of what was accepted socially at the time vs. not 50 years ago, while also noting what's changed vs. stayed the same. It'd be interesting to know what these characters would be up to today & how they'd appraise the world. I hope that's something Moore will uncover in a later book because I think there could be enough substance for another one.

“The God of the Woods” ranks among the most intelligent, surprising, and literary mysteries I’ve read in quite some time. Set at an Adirondack summer camp during the 1960s and 1970s, it centers around the disappearance of two children from wealthy New York State families: a boy in 1961 and a girl in 1975. The novel blends police procedural elements — and Liz Moore provides an exceptional detective in a sharp young woman whom the seasoned male detectives dismiss — with a deep character exploration of a privileged family hiding numerous secrets in their sprawling, walk-in closets. I was so captivated that I stayed up until two in the morning to finish this wonderful story. And since I’m writing this on the final day of the Olympics, I’ll just say: “wowza, Moore absolutely nails the ending.”