The God of the Woods

A Novel

By: Liz Moore

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR

PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR

ONE OF NPR’S “BOOKS WE LOVE”

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S “100 MUST-READ BOOKS”

“Extraordinary . . . Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History . . . I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air.” —Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

“This expertly paced thriller …has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries.” —The New Yorker

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.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains a map from the book.

Great story, listened in 3 days

This was a great story. Loved the arch and flow. Narration was amazing. A lot of characters and I admit I got lost and had to back track a few times, but that is more due to having distractions from my two children at home during summer break. I highly recommend. Some interesting twists to the plot. Would make a good movie.

Truly a dynamically captivating mystery novel

Wow I had such a wonderful time reading The God of the Woods. Each character I felt personally drawn to and all the intertwined social dynamics. The book will keep you guessing until the end and it was so well written, unlike other mystery novels. I highly recommend this book.

Complicated story with not enough emotional payoff

There were about 6 more central characters than needed to tell the story. The complexity made it a bit hard to follow and get totally immersed in, and as a result, the feeling and emotional impact were diminished. I was hoping for a simple but impactful structure more like The Unseen World or Long Bright River. I really wanted to love this book, but the story was not very original, and there were too many characters who were half developed. In this particular case, the author’s use of multiple narrators in different times made me less invested in any of them. In my opinion, this particular narrative structure is not the author’s strong suit. Less is more.

I felt lost, almost couldn’t finish

I’m still unsure what really happened. I started it over 4-5 times. So many eras and people. Hard to follow

Well-written and compelling

A great read for the summer, but goes deeper with some interesting character development and social commentary. Love the summer camp angle and the setting of the woods.