The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Review and Analysis

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Review and Analysis discusses how much I enjoy a good literary mystery. Because I absolutely LOVED Long Bright River by Liz Moore, I was beyond excited to read her latest, which seemed completely different but shared some common themes. Let’s discuss it!

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Overview

• Published on July 2, 2024 by Riverhead Books
• 490 pages
• Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review
• Also by this author: The Words of Every Song (2007), Heft (2012, The Unseen World (2016) Long Bright River (2020)

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Jen’s Quick Take

• A historical (1970s) literary mystery that is one part family drama and one part procedural
• There is a fair amount of set-up and a great deal of character development , so might not be for readers who like a fast and quick read
• Centered mainly around a group of female characters and their places in and around a wealthy landowning family in the Adirondacks
• A very different in setting and vibe from Moore’s Long Bright River, which takes place in modern-day Philadelphia and looks at crime and drug addiction
• But Moore does love a “lost and found,” as both books center around missing characters
• With its emphasis on nature and family secrets The God of the Woods reminded me a fair amount of this highly controversial Reese’s Book Club pick
• Out in Paperback in Fall 2025!

God of the Woods by Liz Moore: Review and Analysis

There are two (completely opposite) kinds of books l love to read in the summer: twisty page turning books with a lot of suspense AND slower-paced books that are deeply immersive and involve tangled family relationships and secrets.

Clearly, The God of the Woods falls into category two.

If you are with me on immersive summer books, add The God of the Woods to your list. If you are thinking, NO, I need something fast paced, then check out my post on summer 2024 beach reads.

The God of the Woods is neither a short book nor a fast paced one.

I am an impatient person. When I am hiking, I constantly have to remind myself that hiking is about the journey, not the destination. And as a thriller reader, I think that is the way to approach The God of the Woods.

The book opens strong, with part one covering the disappearance of a tween girl in 1975 from an Adirondacks summer camp. Louise, her camp counselor, is panicked for two reasons. First, she and her co-counselor left the girls unsupervised the night before. Second, the missing girl is Barbara Van Leer, the daughter of the camp’s owners.

The story moves backward and forward in time, and the narrative alternates among several different characters.

Part Two looks at Bear, Barbara’s older brother, who also disappeared in the woods in 1961, and at Barbara’s mother Alice, who was a young bride who married into the Van Leer family in the 1950s.

I loved the procedural aspect of Long Bright River. In The God of the Woods that aspect came to life in Part Three with the first appearance of Judyta, a young female trooper assigned to Barbara’s case. FINALLY, a person to sort all these secretive people out!

As Judyta begins to talk to the Van Leer family, their social circle, and the camp employees, things finally get going. Accusations are made. Secrets are unearthed. And we finally get some answers.

The God of the Woods is the kind of book I will keep thinking about long after reading that final page. The setting was beautifully portrayed, the characters were memorable and the ending was resonant and satisfying. The book has a strong feminist slant, showing how all these characters (Alice, Barbara, Judyta, Louise, and T.J. the camp director) chafe under the expectations for women in the 1950s-70s.

Definitely one of my favorites of 2024! If you loved Long Bright River (or The Paper Palace, or I Have Some Questions For You), I think you will enjoy it!