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A review by very_mellifluous
North Woods by Daniel Mason
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
So...this book was not what I expected it to be. It was more somber (only by my interpretation) as a whole, and because the main character is sort of, in reality, the house (or the north woods), there is a lot of death that we are brought along to watch and deal with, which is hard for me!
There is a lot of beautiful writing of Nature, and I want Daniel Mason and Anne Carson to collaborate on something. He has a lovely sense of writing rhythm into his prose and my favorite passages involved descriptions of the woods and flora/fauna within.
Truthfully I would have loved for the book to end on a high note, with the final inhabitant we watch be someone who cares for the house and 'resets' it, almost like Osgood, with her care and enthusiasm for the place. That does not happen, but what we do see is beautiful and idyllic. It occurred to me that Osgood and his daughters called the place Eden, and it seems that they truly imbued that into the land. Truly the character I care about most is the painter, William Teale, who deserved love!!!! There is a character involved in his story that I spent the rest of the book cursing at.
There is also a line from Osgood's narration at the start where he writes about the spirit of the eldest apple tree being a guardian for the rest of the orchard, and he writes: "I have come to the opinion, generally, that he who does good to the land shall be protected, while he who trespasses upon her will be met with violent return." It turns out that Osgood grows to be this sort of figure himself, which is very sweet and comforting.
Lastly, I found it interesting that the "original" pair we see inhabiting this space, the pre-Puritan escapees, were not more present in the narrative. Most of the other characters are threaded through newer storylines, but these are allowed to rest. I wonder why Mason chose to do this - instead, he uses Osgood as an anchor point (okay, we see a lot of the people in between Osgood and the first pair, but Osgood feels different). The first pair really feel like a localized Adam and Eve, who are too pure and mythical to dredge from the past. They spiritually inhabit the place, but don't make any appearances. I just wanted to note that for myself.
Also, the section when Nora comes into the glade with Osgood could totally be scored with Televangelism by Ethel Cain.
There is a lot of beautiful writing of Nature, and I want Daniel Mason and Anne Carson to collaborate on something. He has a lovely sense of writing rhythm into his prose and my favorite passages involved descriptions of the woods and flora/fauna within.
Truthfully I would have loved for the book to end on a high note, with the final inhabitant we watch be someone who cares for the house and 'resets' it, almost like Osgood, with her care and enthusiasm for the place. That does not happen, but what we do see is beautiful and idyllic. It occurred to me that Osgood and his daughters called the place Eden, and it seems that they truly imbued that into the land. Truly the character I care about most is the painter, William Teale, who deserved love!!!! There is a character involved in his story that I spent the rest of the book cursing at.
There is also a line from Osgood's narration at the start where he writes about the spirit of the eldest apple tree being a guardian for the rest of the orchard, and he writes: "I have come to the opinion, generally, that he who does good to the land shall be protected, while he who trespasses upon her will be met with violent return." It turns out that
Lastly, I found it interesting that the "original" pair we see inhabiting this space, the pre-Puritan escapees, were not more present in the narrative. Most of the other characters are threaded through newer storylines, but these are allowed to rest. I wonder why Mason chose to do this - instead, he uses Osgood as an anchor point (okay, we see a lot of the people in between Osgood and the first pair, but Osgood feels different). The first pair really feel like a localized Adam and Eve, who are too pure and mythical to dredge from the past. They spiritually inhabit the place, but don't make any appearances. I just wanted to note that for myself.
Also, the section when
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Mental illness and Violence