The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

 

Summary (from the publisher): 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. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Review: At a rustic summer camp in the Adirondacks in 1975, a camper, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Not an ordinary camper, Barbara is the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp. And more striking, she isn't even the first Van Laar child to disappear. Years ago, Barbara's older brother Bear vanished under similar circumstances and has never been found. As the search continues, layers of secrets are slowly unfolded about both the wealthy Van Laar family and the community working in their shadow. 

This novel has a broad cast of characters and numerous rotating points of view. Louise, the camp counselor, who relies on her job to help support herself and her mother and young brother, who first discovers that Barbara is missing. Annabelle the young counselor in training. Alice Van Laars, Barbara's mother who was married off to Peter at a young age and finds herself in a controlling marriage to a cruel man. TJ, the camp director and daughter of the former camp director, Vick. Carl, the fireman on duty in 1961 when Bear Var Laars when missing. And Judyta, the investigator brought in to try to discover what happened to Barbara. At times I found it difficult to keep up with the large number of characters and perspectives, especially since I listened to the audio version of this and found myself resorting to typing up notes to keep track of everyone. 

The most compelling aspect of this book wasn't in fact the mystery of Barbara and Bear's disappearances but the setting. This is such an atmospheric novel and filled with dark cabins, dense forest, and always the possibility of lurking threats, such as escaped inmates. This primitive setting is juxtaposed with the grandeur of the Van Laars estate, which is just next door but is characterized by opulence and elaborate weeklong parties for special friends, all served by a cast of servants. I enjoyed the chapters from Alice's point of view more than many of the other perspectives. Her entitled lifestyle contrasted with her miserable marriage and missing children was intriguing, as was the striking character of her sister Delphine. 

The title of this novel springs from one of the camp lessons where they discuss Pan, the Greek name for the God of the Woods. While the woods and the setting itself are transformative elements of this book, in other ways I struggled to understand why this was chosen as the title. In more ways, it is the people of the book, using the woods for their own purposes, that predict the outcome of the book. The woods are used to hide secrets, but it didn't feel like a divine presence controlling events but quite the opposite; it was a tool being used by the characters. An apt and poetic title but somehow just did not feel quite right to me. I did, however, love the cover with the shocking pink paint oozing down over the image of the woods! Such a wonderful reference to the discord and unhappiness Barbara experiences living with her parents, that comes to a head over her room being repainted against her wishes. The lavish household literally whitewashing its unhappy inhabitants and the woods that offer security, escape, and cover for those looking to hide, cover secrets, or just duck and run. 

This was an intriguing drama with a lush and rich and moody setting. It was suspenseful but not scary and very character driven. I did feel that it meandered on for longer than it should have, probably because it took on more characters and perspectives than technically needed. Something about the ending felt somewhat dissatisfying to me, but that is generally my take on most thrillers, so likely a me problem rather than a true issue with this novel. 

Stars: 4