“The God of the Woods” by Liz Moore takes place during several different timelines in the years between 1950 and 1975. All of the action takes place at a kids summer camp in the Adirondacks in New York. Moore paints the perfect picture of this camp – I felt like I was in the woods with the characters. There are layers to the story – family drama, social commentary, mystery, police procedural and more. I was totally lost in this novel and couldn’t wait to discover what would happen at the end!
The Van Laars, Peter and Alice, are a dysfunctional, ultra-rich family who value prestige and social-status above all else. They are the wealthy owners of Camp Emerson, where kids spend their summer bonding and enjoying the outdoors. T.J. Hewitt is the director of the camp, as was her father, Vic in years past. Louise is a camp counselor and Tracy is one of the campers. The Van Laar’s daughter, Barbara, has been allowed to spend her summer at the camp for the first time. She befriends Tracy, and all is going well until Barbara goes missing. We also learn that Barbara’s brother, Bear, went missing almost 14 years ago in the same area. Everyone is a suspect, although the staff and family hope that Barbara is just lost in the woods . . . Judy, an investigator on the case, begins to unravel multiple mysteries involving the characters and hopes to find Barbara. She also wants to discover what really happened to Bear . . .
I really enjoyed “The God of the Woods!” I did get a little confused with the 3 different Peter’s in the novel – Peter I, Peter II and Peter III. (The family legacy demands that prestige begins with the name.) Survival is a theme throughout the book – including the choices made in order to survive. There are multiple points of view in the novel, but those were not confusing. The book is long, and is a slow moving mystery/drama, but I read it in 3 afternoons. I hope some of you check out this great read!