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adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book felt unique in the thriller/mystery genre in ways that I really appreciated. For example, I thought the multiple POVs were really interesting and well done for the most part, and I liked how each character was slowly getting pieces of the puzzle so even though one character might not have the full picture, you as the reader are able to begin piecing it together. This also made for a good slow burn mystery where you really appreciate the clues you receive along the way, rather than just having a massive info dump in the last couple of chapters. I also enjoyed how you were really solving 2 mysteries at once—the disappearance of Barbara in the present, as well as the disappearance of Bear from a decade prior—and both timelines inform the other. However, I also thought the book was about 100 pages too long, and the multiple timelines and POVs could feel overwhelming/pointless at times. I also found the ending to be a bit anticlimactic, and although I’d didn’t guess the ending I also wouldn’t say it delivered a big twist.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Forced institutionalization
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So, so slow and boring. Confusing timeline jumps. Extremely bloated plot line.
Content Warnings
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
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When I stumbled upon this book, I was trying to find a book that was serious but also not so serious in terms of older American literature. At that time I have read many old American literature books that were borderline depressing, and made me feel the same way. In spite of that, I still read them because of the serious material that showed complexity behind it, that didn’t take important topics and problems out to be a joke. This American contemporary literature book, was the perfect balance between serious and not borderline depressing. It handled serious topics surrounding spousal emotional abuse, child neglect, spousal assault, classism, and sexism beautifully. When I read the synopsis, it gave me the same impression that was proven correct after reading it. Not only that, but it had a nice ending that neatly tied things up. There was some plot holes, but nothing actually big or important, just general insignificant details here and there. I like how it’s also a historical fiction that throws you into the world of the 1960s-70s, a time not so long ago from today’s 2025, and yet something so starkly important in showing how much progress we’ve made within a century. Love it love it love it!! 10/10 highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I don't remember why I decided to pick up this book as I was only mildly curious about it, but I'm glad I did. It was a much more engaging read than I was anticipating, and I found the character work and arc of the narrative to be satisfying. If you're a fan of mysteries that unfold slowly and have underlying critiques of people in power, I would recommend giving this a try.
WRITING: Moore's prose is deceptively simple in construction. It doesn't use much figurative language, so everything feels very straight-forward. But Moore does a good job balancing showing and telling while also mastering pace. Some sentences are short and fragmented, which speeds up the pace when needed. Others are longer so as to give the reader a sense of the atmosphere or linger on important emotions.
This book also jumps around in time and has multiple character POVs. For some, this structure may be disorienting. Personally, though, I found it engaging. I enjoyed seeing how past and present flowed into one another, and I think Moore chose her POV characters well so as not to make any perspective redundant.
Lastly, I think Moore excelled at creating atmosphere. This book primarily takes place on a forest preservation, and Moore created a setting that felt vaguely threatening yet also mysterious. The woods are a dangerous place and this book emphasizes that without being too overwhelming.
PLOT: The plot of the book centers on the disappearance of Barbara Van Laar, the daughter of the wealthy family who owns a preserve in the Adirondaks. The year is 1975 and Barbara disappears from summer camp, which is held on the preserve. As investigators search for her, they begin digging into the 1961 disappearance of 8 year old Bear, from the same family.
This mystery was incredibly satisfying in part because Moore feeds us little clues that feel "off." I was never quite sure what details would be relevant to which case, and some details were more relevant to uncovering just how self-serving rich, influential people could be.
I also really enjoyed the character work and the way Moore lingers on their backstories. Getting to know how each character intimately made this book feel partially like literary fiction, but it also made me care about each perspective and want to know how they were all connected.
When we finally do learn what happened, I found the resolution to be surprisingly satisfactory. Part of my fear when reading mystery is that the resolution will pale in comparison to the suspense of the investigation, but in this case, I think Moore did it well. Part of the reason might be because every aspect of the mystery ties in with specific themes: about the land, about class, about the follies of the rich and powerful. I enjoyed the slow unfolding of the plot and the way it explored these topics, so the mystery was actually commenting on something rather than just trying to be an empty thrill.
CHARACTERS: There are way too many characters to discuss individually, so I'll just provide a brief overview.
I think Moore did a good job of selecting her POV characters. We get a range of people of different ages and classes throughout time so no two perspectives feel redundant. Moreover, each POV character feels sufficiently complex with varying home lives, hopes, goals, and struggles, though all feel like they are tied together and relate to the themes of the novel.
TL;DR: The God of the Woods is a compelling mystery that foregrounds character work, allowing the plot to unfold slowly and with mounting suspense. Because it also critiques the way the rich and powerful operate, this book is satisfying on multiple levels and I recommend it for readers who enjoy good atmosphere and a reflective look at class.
WRITING: Moore's prose is deceptively simple in construction. It doesn't use much figurative language, so everything feels very straight-forward. But Moore does a good job balancing showing and telling while also mastering pace. Some sentences are short and fragmented, which speeds up the pace when needed. Others are longer so as to give the reader a sense of the atmosphere or linger on important emotions.
This book also jumps around in time and has multiple character POVs. For some, this structure may be disorienting. Personally, though, I found it engaging. I enjoyed seeing how past and present flowed into one another, and I think Moore chose her POV characters well so as not to make any perspective redundant.
Lastly, I think Moore excelled at creating atmosphere. This book primarily takes place on a forest preservation, and Moore created a setting that felt vaguely threatening yet also mysterious. The woods are a dangerous place and this book emphasizes that without being too overwhelming.
PLOT: The plot of the book centers on the disappearance of Barbara Van Laar, the daughter of the wealthy family who owns a preserve in the Adirondaks. The year is 1975 and Barbara disappears from summer camp, which is held on the preserve. As investigators search for her, they begin digging into the 1961 disappearance of 8 year old Bear, from the same family.
This mystery was incredibly satisfying in part because Moore feeds us little clues that feel "off." I was never quite sure what details would be relevant to which case, and some details were more relevant to uncovering just how self-serving rich, influential people could be.
I also really enjoyed the character work and the way Moore lingers on their backstories. Getting to know how each character intimately made this book feel partially like literary fiction, but it also made me care about each perspective and want to know how they were all connected.
When we finally do learn what happened, I found the resolution to be surprisingly satisfactory. Part of my fear when reading mystery is that the resolution will pale in comparison to the suspense of the investigation, but in this case, I think Moore did it well. Part of the reason might be because every aspect of the mystery ties in with specific themes: about the land, about class, about the follies of the rich and powerful. I enjoyed the slow unfolding of the plot and the way it explored these topics, so the mystery was actually commenting on something rather than just trying to be an empty thrill.
CHARACTERS: There are way too many characters to discuss individually, so I'll just provide a brief overview.
I think Moore did a good job of selecting her POV characters. We get a range of people of different ages and classes throughout time so no two perspectives feel redundant. Moreover, each POV character feels sufficiently complex with varying home lives, hopes, goals, and struggles, though all feel like they are tied together and relate to the themes of the novel.
TL;DR: The God of the Woods is a compelling mystery that foregrounds character work, allowing the plot to unfold slowly and with mounting suspense. Because it also critiques the way the rich and powerful operate, this book is satisfying on multiple levels and I recommend it for readers who enjoy good atmosphere and a reflective look at class.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don't really know how I feel about this one. It was readable? I didn't DNF it, so that's something.
I actually like mystery-thrillers as a genre because I enjoy the suspense and putting the pieces of the mystery together, but I feel like they are often quite cynical in their portrayal of characters and the world in general, so I avoid them for that reason. Much of this book is just about how awful and powerful rich people (mostly men) are. I am well aware that the world is full of corruption and greed at large and small scale. I just want to read a summer camp murder mystery to get a little creepy thrill and maybe feel clever for figuring out the crime before the reveal. I did figure one of the cases out pretty early, but it was more depressing than satisfying. The actual ending to everything is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Some character perspectives were harder to read than others. Alice and Louise make some awful decisions, Alice out of dull acquiescence and Louise it seems because the plot demands it. Tracy's chapters are like a painful concentration of the worst parts of being a 13 year old girl. Even for chapters from characters that are a little more reasonable, like Judyta, everything around them still has to be seeped in misogyny, bigotry, and classism.
Saskia Maarleveld is always a great audiobook narrator. It would have been cool though to have different narrators for all the perspectives.
I actually like mystery-thrillers as a genre because I enjoy the suspense and putting the pieces of the mystery together, but I feel like they are often quite cynical in their portrayal of characters and the world in general, so I avoid them for that reason. Much of this book is just about how awful and powerful rich people (mostly men) are. I am well aware that the world is full of corruption and greed at large and small scale. I just want to read a summer camp murder mystery to get a little creepy thrill and maybe feel clever for figuring out the crime before the reveal. I did figure one of the cases out pretty early, but it was more depressing than satisfying. The actual ending to everything is a bit of a head-scratcher.
Some character perspectives were harder to read than others. Alice and Louise make some awful decisions, Alice out of dull acquiescence and Louise it seems because the plot demands it. Tracy's chapters are like a painful concentration of the worst parts of being a 13 year old girl. Even for chapters from characters that are a little more reasonable, like Judyta, everything around them still has to be seeped in misogyny, bigotry, and classism.
Saskia Maarleveld is always a great audiobook narrator. It would have been cool though to have different narrators for all the perspectives.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Misogyny, Alcohol, Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“𝑷𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒄,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑻.𝑱. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅. 𝑰𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒈𝒐𝒅 𝑷𝒂𝒏: 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒔. 𝑯𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Grief, Gaslighting, Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Dementia
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse