When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide.
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances.
Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet, The God of the Woods is a story of inheritance and second chances, the tensions between a family and a community, and a history that will not let any of them go.
The Sexy Nerd's Review. . .
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This novel was selected by my book club and I was a bit skeptical because it had over 470 pages and my first thought was if this book isn’t any good, I’ll be on a struggle bus for a very long time. Well, as luck would have it, I didn’t need to worry because it was pretty good.
Before I attempt to unpack all of what was going on in this story, I had some pros and cons happening while I read. For me there is only one author who I consider to be the king of plots and twists and that’s Sidney Sheldon. I’m a huge fan of his work and when I read the Other Side of Midnight, I was so hooked! I have to admit, Moore runs a very close second to him when it comes to telling a story. I didn’t think I’d ever come across an author who could spin a tale while so many things were happening, but Moore did that!
We’re in August of 1975 at Self-Reliance camp in the Adirondack mountains. It’s a time that most kids of the well-to-do look forward to going. The Van Laars are very wealthy and own the campsite the kids frequent. One evening, after dinner was served and the kids were all in their bunks for the night, as morning approached a camp counselor did her rounds and discovered on her count that one of the kids was missing. Not only was this child missing but it’s important to note that Barbara Van Laar, a descendant to the throne of Van Laars, was nowhere to be found. Uh-oh! Another Van Laar has gone without a trace.
Hold up! Did your eyes deceive you? No! You read that correctly, another Van Laar had vanished. Back in August of 1961 fourteen years prior, Peter “Bear” Van Laar went missing from those same campgrounds never to be heard from again. Bear is Barbara’s elder brother. She’s heard stories about Bear but never got to meet him. Peter and Alice Van Laar, the parents to both Bear and Barbara, are going insane. Alice became ill again as she did when her beloved son, Bear, went missing and now her daughter has suffered the same fate. Who was taking the Van Laar children and why?
The townspeople were up in arms and distraught that the same thing could happen twice at the exact campground. And not to mention they were siblings for God’s sake. What was happening in the Adirondack mountains? Was there a serial killer on the loose and hunting the Van Laars family? The story begins to shift between 1961 and 1975. Each chapter you read is told from a different perspective of either staff members of the campgrounds or the Van Laar family themselves. As you begin to navigate each of their stories, a larger picture comes into focus. This is where Moore really shined.
I kept wondering what the importance of all these little stories was within this larger novel and once I got a clear understanding of the characters, the story came into view in a major way. However, having said that, this is where things started to get a little weird. The back and forth within the fourteen years did grate on my nerves a bit. But it didn’t totally bother me because I enjoyed the story I was reading. About 50% into the story, several scenarios started to form and I knew I was figuring the story out. Even with that, I was still ok with it. When I reached 90% and I knew I was dead on, that’s when I got agitated.
Why, you ask? I was thrilled that I had figured it out but then bummed that I figured it out and that it wasn’t more to it than what I figured. If any of that makes sense to you? I’m not sure how to explain my feelings here. The story was good but it lifted me up into this amazing crescendo and then it’s like the words fell flat. I suppose what I’m trying to convey is that the story hyped me up and then the ending left me like “blah”! I wish Moore had taken another route instead of the one she took. It just seemed a bit obvious to me and I guess that’s why I felt so let down. I read all those words and hundreds of pages only for it to end like that?
Hmm, I don’t know Nerds. I’m really on that dreaded fence here. Like I said this is an amazing story and so well written. Moore definitely has writing skills and knows how to engage her reader, but for as much work as it took for this reader to get where she was going, I feel she should have given me a better prize at the end. I hope I’ve made myself clear.
The Sexy Nerd gives The God of the Woods four additional trails for the campers to hike. I would have given this novel three and a half stars because of the length of the story and finding the ending a bit lack luster but Moore made up for it because she is truly an amazing author. I always give credit where it’s due whether I like a story or not. This was an incredible story told very well and I encourage any reader who enjoys long stories and super sleuthing, this would be an awesome story to take on. I read most of this while on vacation and it certainly kept me entertained. Until next time, Nerds, you know how we do!
Open a Book and Get Mind Blown!
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