Book Review: God of the Woods

The God of the Woods
by Liz Moore
Review by Alex A

Atmospheric, engrossing and slow-building, The God of the Woods left me with a similar feeling as a well-told true crime podcast: half the story is in the context.

Set in 1975, the story follows the Van Laars, a wealthy New England family who own a large tract of land in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. As a well-respected banking dynasty, they run a summer camp for the children of well-to-do families, often associates through business.

Their 8-year-old son, Bear, goes missing without a trace one summer. A local man is blamed amidst widespread doubt. 13 years later, their daughter Barbara disappears while attending the summer camp on their property. Enter Judy Luptack, a plucky young detective (the first woman to achieve the rank) determined to solve the disappearance. Contrary to her superior’s advice, she listens to the locals, to the workers at the house, and shadowy figures from the past who resurface in the face of the disappearance. Slowly she puts together a picture of what might have happened to these children, and in doing so has to contend with how a family and whole community has been affected by these events.

Good story-telling means we can forgive less-than-tidy conclusions, and this is something I really enjoyed about this book. The suspense is resolved, the mystery unspooled, the “a-ha” moment arrives – minus the tropey show-down or far-fetched plot-twist. This may put some true-crime readers off, but if you’re looking for a clever, thoughtful and though-provoking resolution, you’ll find it. Great for readers of Bright Young Women or All the Colours of the Dark.