Book Review: God of the Woods by Liz Moore

Liz Moore’s God of the Woods is an exploration of family secrets, privilege, and the haunting echoes of the past, set in the Adirondack wilderness.

Book Review: God of the Woods by Liz Moore

The story begins in the summer of 1975 when Barbara Van Laar, the teenage daughter of a wealthy camp-owning family, vanishes from her bunk. As the camp community frantically searches for answers, the disappearance reopens wounds from the Van Laar family’s past — most notably the unsolved vanishing of Barbara’s older brother 14 years earlier. Moore weaves perspectives from the Van Laar family and the working class townsfolk employed by the camp, exposing buried tensions and unspoken resentments in a community defined by its dependence on the Van Laar dynasty.

Through her insightful prose, Moore crafts characters whose struggles feel raw and immediate. From the privileged yet fractured Van Laar family to the workers whose livelihoods tether them to their employers’ whims, the novel balances its suspenseful plot with emotion. The dual timelines and shifting viewpoints deepen the mystery, slowly peeling back layers of deceit, pain, and longing to reveal unnerving truths.

What sets God of the Woods apart is Moore’s ability to evoke both a sense of place and the tangled complexities of human relationships. The Adirondack wilderness is more than just a setting — it’s a character in itself. Its beauty and isolation mirrors the story’s themes of concealment and exposure. The novel’s exploration of privilege, class divides, and the consequences of long-buried secrets makes it as thought-provoking as it is gripping.

A compelling blend of psychological intrigue and family drama, Moore sets a new standard for the mystery genre with God of the Woods.

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