Liz Moore

Fiction 2024 | 496 pages

God of the Woods is a mystery thriller that revolves around the disappearance of Barbara, a 13-year-old girl, from a summer camp.  Moore offers us strong character development, a complex plot, and an unusual setting.  The camp and the preserve surrounding it have been in Barbara's family for decades.  As a matter of fact, her parents live on the property.  And this is not the first time a child has disappeared from this camp.  Barbara's brother Bear disappeared 14 years ago, from the same location.

In the early pages we come to know the campers, the camp counselors, and various staff members.  After Barbara's disappearance, the point of view really shifts to the first female investigator in New York ... Judyta, who also goes by Judy.

We move around a bit in the timeline, from the 1950's to the present day, which is August 1975., although most of it is in the present.  The novel is praised for its exploration of class, privilege, power, and family dysfunction.  And there are a lot of these elements!

There is a wide range of function/dysfunction among the female characters, from Alice, Barbara's mother, who is addicted to prescription drugs, to astounding competence and insight from Barbara, T J, and Judy.  These personalities allow us to witness a variety of perspectives.  And no, there isn't a man in the book whom I would describe as functional and healthy, except for a minor character, Judy's boss.

This is our book club read for September.  I can tell already, by a casual conversation, that the discussion may be lively, as two of us disagree about whether or not Peter did the right thing by not telling his wife Alice something very important.

No question ... read this book.  If you can, engage with someone else who has read it.  I think the conversation could be insightful.

Thank you, Pam, for suggesting God of the Woods.

September 2025