Liz Moore's The God of the Woods is a masterful blend of literary fiction and suspense, set against the evocative backdrop of the 1970s Adirondacks. It drips family secrets, privilege, and the haunting grip of the past.
The narrative centers on the affluent Van Laar family, proprietors of Camp Emerson. In 1961, eight-year-old Peter IV, affectionately known as Bear, vanishes without a trace. Fourteen years later, his thirteen-year-old sister, Barbara, disappears from the same camp, rekindling unresolved anguish and suspicion. Moore deftly navigates between these timelines, unraveling the complexities of the Van Laar family dynamics and the community enmeshed in their orbit.
Moore's portrayal of the Van Laar family is both nuanced and unflinching. The patriarchs embody the oppressive weight of legacy and expectation, often at the expense of genuine familial bonds. Alice, the matriarch, is depicted with profound empathy as she grapples with the compounded grief of losing her children and the suffocating constraints of her societal role. The novel also introduces Judyta Luptac, a determined young investigator challenging the male-dominated sphere of law enforcement, whose tenacity brings fresh perspective to the cold cases.
The setting of Camp Emerson and its surrounding woods is rendered with atmospheric allure, becoming a character in its own right. Moore's prose immerses readers in the era's cultural and social milieu, capturing the tension between the idyllic camp life and the underlying currents of dread and mystery.
The God of the Woods has garnered critical acclaim, with Kirkus Reviews lauding it as "a blend of domestic drama and crime novel" where every character "leaves an imprint." The novel's intricate structure and rich character development have cemented its place among the standout literary works of 2024.
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