Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting
To be a human is complex, and often painful; to be an animal is comfortingly simple and good.
I'm really not a fast reader, but I have to say that I was extremely invested in this and I never wanted to put it down. I needed like a short while to not confuse the characters or the timelines, but after that you could follow the plot very well, in my opinion. Timeskips and this many different perspectives can be tricky, but Liz Moore did a fantastic job with it and there were very rarely perspectives or timelines I didn't find interesting.
I love a good female lead and The God of the Woods had multiple, which I loved.
The ending was super satisfying, something I always prefer with mystery novels or it literally haunts me for the rest of my days.
I'd totally recommend this!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Pedophilia
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Blood, Alcohol, Classism
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Abandonment, Classism
Ultimately though, some things didn't make 100% sense which annoyed me a little but, and I would have wished for better resolutions for some of the characters. Then end therefore fell a little bit flat for me.
So, if you are in the mood for cheap thrills, a fast pasted murder mystery and a lot of spooks and extreme twists, this might not be for you.
But if you like slow-burn mysteries, intricately written, multilayered, with family drama, tragedy and a reflection upon gender and class at its core, this might be just the right book for you!
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Sexism, Gaslighting
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Classism
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, Classism
Finally crossed The God Of The Woods and am relieved to say I felt it lived up to the hype around it. I’d give it probably a 4.5 stars if I’m being picky, but will round up to 5.
This book is masterfully written. Moore paints such deeply real portraits of life for these characters. You are completely transported to the Adirondack estate, and you feel the grief, the anger, the suspicion of everyone. You relive what it was like to be a teenager, trying to figure yourself and your friends and your family out. Your heart breaks, your mind races, you want out of the woods.
The story of the Van Laars - their history, their home, their hardships, their heaviness - is told in such beautiful detail through the eyes of those who have all carried parts of its burden, for better or worse. Through their experiences, we learn just how far people are willing to go to maintain appearances, wealth, and classist divides. And we question: is there really such a thing as self-reliance, and how different is it from self-interest?
This novel will give you so much to think about, so many decisions to analyze, so many gray areas to consider how you’d handle if you were in them. It’s a mystery in story and a true work of literature in craft. I think this one is going to stick with me for a while.
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting, Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Classism