The God of the Woods: A Novel

Just like the battle cry of Pan: The Greek God of the Woods.

Situated in the Adirondack Mountains is the Van Laar Preserve. Atop its ridge is the Van Laar’s colossal summer home, named Self-Reliance. Far below, is the camp they own, Camp Emerson, which is open to campers eight weeks of the year (June to August).

July 1961: 8-year-old, Peter “Bear” Van Laar the fourth (the only child of Peter the third and his wife Alice) vanishes without a trace while hiking with his grandfather (Peter II) in the Adirondacks near the family home Self-Reliance. Following an extensive search no trace of him is ever found.

August 1975: The girls in Balsam cabin, Camp Emerson, awaken to find 13-year-old Barbara’s bunk bed empty. Barbara’s surname is also Van Laar – she’s Bear’s younger sister, born after his disappearance, to replace the void he left.

Is the Van Laar line cursed? Surely it can’t be a coincidence that they’re two children from the same privileged family! Or are they simply two separate unrelated tragedies? What happened to Bear, and then Barbara?

If I could rate The God of the Woods 14 stars (for the 14 cabins of Camp Emerson) then I absolutely positivity would, but I guess 5 stars is enough to convey just how immersive, momentous, and affecting it was. A flawlessly written epic masterpiece of literary suspense fiction, and deep dive character study. There were twists that left me reeling over how shockingly clever they were, and Liz Moore’s use of misdirection and carefully concealed clues were meticulously placed. Every once and a while there is a book that comes along that is so special that I find myself taking much longer than normal to read it, inhaling every word, and taking frequent breaks to reflect on the plot, and characters, to prolong the experience, and The God of the Woods was one such example.

The story contained many gothic elements which increased my sense of unease and claustrophobia tenfold. A prickling sensation at the back of my neck permeated the novel from the very first page. First up, was the secluded setting, far enough away from the nearest town of Shattuck to be isolating, surrounded by endless wilderness and the looming Hunt Mountain, with Lake Joan cutting them off even further. Then there were the dilapidated log cabins, once used for hunting parties, complete with unused fireplaces, whose chimneys were occasionally inhabited by bats. Not to mention the origins of Self-Reliance – there was something off-putting and out-of-place about it previously being a Chalet in Switzerland, transported by ship to New York piece-by-piece and then reassembled on the Van Laar Preserve. As expected, there were numerous campfire style legends circulating – whispered stories warning of Slitter, of Scary Mary, and Old John. And last but not least, the plot was built around not one, but two disturbing enthralling mysteries.

Those who know me are aware that I love a summer camp setting and this novel contained everything I wanted in one – new friendships, secretive and untrustworthy behaviour, counsellors and campers sneaking around after dark, campfires, sing-a-longs, swimming, hiking, a camper survival trip in the woods, and an end of summer dance. The vivid and intricate descriptions of the campgrounds really brought Camp Emerson to life. There was also a handy map included at the front of the book, showing the layout of the grounds and buildings.

And I was thrilled that the author chose to set the camp story arc in the 70's – I adored the nostalgic trip, the slang, and pop culture references. The 1950’s/1960’s timelines were equally compelling. Instead of Camp Emerson, that plot focused on Self-Reliance and Peter and Alice's marriage within its walls, and of course, Bear's disappearance, and what lead up to it, and the fallout resulting from it.

The majority of the POV’s were pre-teen/teenage girls and twenty-something women (with the exception of Alice in 1975. She was 41 by this stage), and most of them were damaged or broken (and given what they'd been dealt in life I'm not surprised), beaten down and trapped by their circumstances. Back then women were considered inferior – utterly dependent on the men in their lives to make decisions for them regarding how to look, act, and behave. And a lot of the male characters in this book took advantage of this – were dismissive, controlling and abusive. Not only that when female characters were abused by men, they saw it as their failure, and thought it was them who needed to change, who needed to be more compliant. And those who did take a stand were belittled, mocked, and shunned, by both men and women, for not conforming to the norm.

Class, prejudice, injustice, and resentment was another prominent theme. With the Van Laar family and their rich, entitled friends on one side, and the locals from Shattuck (including camp staff, counsellors, household staff, and caretakers) on the other. Self-Reliance, sat high on the hill, on prominent display, lording it over everyone, literally and figuratively, looking down on people. Even its name, Self-Reliance, was an exclusion, a slap in the face for the townspeople, implying that the Van Laar’s had build it themselves with no assistance, when it had been the entire eligible male population of Shattuck who had done so, with no help from the Van Laar’s. And even the fact that the camp staff quarters were situated way down lake from Self-Reliance in the farthest south corner possible, placed in the half of the camp separated by a creek, spoke volumes.

The God of the Woods was in my opinion a smash-hit and I strongly urge everyone to read it and experience the magic for themselves. My top read for 2024 so far. Actually, top read full stop.

This is a very well-written book told in present and past style (I love the way the chapters are formed by years) of generations of the Van Laar family and the players that cross their paths. It starts with their missing son Bear who disappeared 14 years ago, and now presently his sister Barbara who now goes missing. The story takes place around the Van Laar owned summer camp in the Adirondack and has many a dynasty of secrets and players in this very readable mystery full of family secrets and introduces a tenacious young investigator who just won’t let go. It’s a great story you will NOT LET GO!

The dense woods of upstate New York can hide a lot of secrets. How can two children from the same family go missing years apart in time? Different chapters give us insights from different sectors --the camp staff, the campers, the wealthy landowners, the shrewd townspeople, and the detectives on the case. The ghosts of Emerson and Thoreau also haunt these pages with the theme of self-reliance. I loved every minute of this taut drama about family, community, and justice. Best read of the summer.

The story has so many twists and turns that you keep wanting to know more. There are layers and layers to the characters that lead to the unfolding of the truth. Once I reached a certain point in the book, I could not put it down. Liz Moore writes the story so well, jumping from past to future, from character to character, until the story puzzle is finally complete. It is a book that leaves you with the feeling that you have been a bystander living in the story as it plays out. Possibly following Judy, the investigator as she conducts her interviews, playing in your mind the possibilities of who committed acts to a possible crime and what will actually be the outcome.

I am so sick and tired of these reviewers who make it like this novel or novels like this are classics like Donna Tartt! This novel is fine. It’s good — It’s an OK mystery. I read Liz Moore’s s novel, Long Bright River and thought it was really good. The God of the Woods is excessively long. I’m 300+ pages in and looking forward to the ending which is another almost 200 pages. I don’t understand what’s going on with all the hype around recent glowingly reviewed books. Are publishers worried that their author’s work can’t just stand on its own? Is it just so slim pickings that something even good is considered to be the next great novel? Sorry I sound like a curmudgeon but I’m getting screwed buying all these well reviewed books— spending a small fortune.