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A review by jess_esa
North Woods by Daniel Mason
medium-paced
4.5
Honestly, nothing about this book particularly drew me in except the cover, but my friend Rick insisted I would love it, and who am I to argue?
A lot has already been said about this book, and it really does live up to the hype. It's compelling enough that I kept wanting to pick it up, so it ended up being a much faster read than I imagined.
North Woods spans three centuries of life in a single house in the woods of Massachusetts, telling its story via a series of entwined short stories, poems, and vignettes rather than a linear narrative. It was always very satisfying when a character from a previous story popped up later, a mystery was solved, or a character was revealed as more integral to the tale of the house and woods than you originally thought.
The supernatural was also used sparingly and effectively throughout; some stories are genuinely chilling. I loved how present nature was at all times throughout the novel and how beautifully Mason evokes it. This really is the kind of writing where you just marvel at someone's talent at putting words to a page.
Like most collections of stories, there were some that I enjoyed a lot more than others — the second half was much less engaging than the first for me. Though, it does wrap up very satisfyingly.
A surprise winner for me, thanks Rick!
A lot has already been said about this book, and it really does live up to the hype. It's compelling enough that I kept wanting to pick it up, so it ended up being a much faster read than I imagined.
North Woods spans three centuries of life in a single house in the woods of Massachusetts, telling its story via a series of entwined short stories, poems, and vignettes rather than a linear narrative. It was always very satisfying when a character from a previous story popped up later, a mystery was solved, or a character was revealed as more integral to the tale of the house and woods than you originally thought.
The supernatural was also used sparingly and effectively throughout; some stories are genuinely chilling. I loved how present nature was at all times throughout the novel and how beautifully Mason evokes it. This really is the kind of writing where you just marvel at someone's talent at putting words to a page.
Like most collections of stories, there were some that I enjoyed a lot more than others — the second half was much less engaging than the first for me. Though, it does wrap up very satisfyingly.
A surprise winner for me, thanks Rick!