The God of the Woods

A Novel

By: Liz Moore

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

"Riveting from page one to the last breathless word."—Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You

“Brilliant, riveting .. an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide...I loved this book.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace

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 listeners 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.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Liz Moore (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"An immersive reading experience that will draw audiences. Its explorations of class, crime, and family dynamics, in addition to Moore’s incredible storytelling, will appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell, Tana French, and Lucy Foley."—Library Journal, STARRED review

"Rich in background detail and secondary mysteries. . .this ever-expansive, intricate, emotionally engaging novel never seems overplotted. Every piece falls skillfully into place and every character, major and minor, leaves an imprint."—Kirkus, STARRED review

“Gripping and revelatory...The beautiful and dangerous wilderness setting enhances the suspense as the narrative builds to a dramatic final act...This astonishes.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

Tangled Mystery Overloaded with Characters and Confusing Time Jumps

The story had its moments, but I found it frustrating to keep track of the numerous characters. There were at least 30 characters, both major and minor, scattered throughout the plot, with five characters sharing the same name, such as Peter VanLar I, II, and III. Additionally, the chapters often repeated the same titles, making it even more confusing. I felt like I needed a notebook to keep everything straight. A PDF of the characters and timeline events would have been more helpful than the simple cartoon story map that was included. Overall, getting through the story was like trying to untangle fishing lines.

Moore Tragedy Than Mystery

This was well written but a little dower. The characters are well defined, the timeline is coherent and the pros style is good but it just doesn’t really deliver. There are a lot of meaningful contrasts about how life was changing in 1975 without any of the fun of feeling like you were actually in 1975.
There was one highly derivative scene that did not feel necessary to the plot, I’d like to believe that it’s simply an homage to Thomas Harris.

Story and portrayal of the Adirondacks.

I don't agree with many reviews that call this 'dark'. The story wasn't what I expected. Some suggested this was similar to Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History'. No, I don't think so, but it was as good as. It was thoroughly enjoyable, well worth the price. I am looking for more from this author.

Too many

I did finish, but struggled through the midsection. For me, there were just “too many”: too many characters, timelines, unsolved mysteries. Phew. I did, however, like how it ended.

Amazing story

I read/listen to about 4 books a week and this is the best novel I’ve come across in a long time! The story is so engaging and the voices of characters in the 1970s is spot on. The layers of the plot and the scenery of the story kept me hooked. Can’t wait for her next book.

Great read.

The story kept me guessing. I was surprised by the ending. Well written and well narrated.

Come for the mystery, stay for the characters

This book....I wish I could read it again for the first time. I love this book....the characters, the themes, the story. It's so good.

Interesting interaction between characters kept you

I liked the difference in the characters and the display rich versus middle class each with a number of problems and the different approach to a solution.

Could not put it down

The slow reveal of the moneyed class / service class divide was brilliant and fierce. It drew out my own memories of summer Girl Scout camp and the learning experience. Author nailed it. The mystery (mysteries) were threads that the reader followed, made a guess, only to watch the threads weave a completely new pattern. The timelines revealed the characters slowly, like peeling an onion. What seemed obvious at the onset was completely upturned by the end. Great story!

Stories within a story

Great story woman empowerment, but also in the perspective of men who were looking in