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As the writer for our In the Club newsletter, which focuses on all things book clubs, I stay knee-deep in some book club shenanigans. And this summer, there seems to be one book in particular that’s making the book club rounds.
Now, a little overlap in book choice among the online book clubs I follow is not necessarily unheard of—last year’s Book Club It Girls were Yellowface and Chain-Gang All-Stars—but this instance seems to be a little more than those, especially since this one book in particular is the book club selection for several book clubs at the same time.
That book is The God of the Woods by Liz Moore. The historical mystery has been named July’s book club pick for The Barnes & Noble Book Club and the Indie Next List, is one of the Book of the Month selections, is a bonus read for the CBS New York Book Club, and Maureen Corrigan from The Washington Post said it “should be your next summer mystery.”
Suffice it to say, The God of the Woods is That Girl, so I decided to read it and have a little Deep Divey book club breakdown.
First off, the mystery has a blurb that is a little more enticing than your usual mystery. It tells how, one early morning in a summer camp in 1975, a 13-year-old girl goes missing. When one of Camp Emerson’s counselors goes to check on her charges, she finds the bed of Barbara Van Laar empty, with no trace of the girl to be found. On top of that, she’s the daughter, and current only child, of the owners of the camp—the wealthy Van Laars, who employ a good chunk of the small Adirondack town. On top of that, this isn’t the first Van Laar child to go missing. The first one who did, the Van Laar’s first and only son, Bear, went missing 14 years ago and was never found.
The story is unfolded over nearly 500 pages—every inch of which felt well used—parsed by chapters that switch not only in perspective, but also in time. We start off with camp counselor Louise in 1975, when she discovers Barbara’s missing, and quickly conjures up some fallacies to cover some irresponsible camp counselor activities. We then learn about what Barbara’s bunkmate, Tracy, was doing two months prior and then move over to Barbara’s mother, Alice. At any point in the book, you could find yourself learning about everything from a camp counselor’s personal struggles two years prior, to how a teenage Alice Ward was courted by a late-twenties Peter Van Laar in the ’50s.
Early on, we find out that something’s not quite right with the Van Laars. Apart from missing children, they are woefully detached from normal people. And though they provide employment for the town through their enormous house—named Self Reliance—and through the camp they own, many of the townspeople people look on them with a healthy bit of suspicion.
They’re not the only suspicious ones, though. There’s also a rumor of a ghost roaming the woods that surrounds the camp, and a serial killer who used to stalk the area years ago has escaped prison…
I have to say that this story had a lot that worked for me.
The author took her time with painting a full, detailed picture of 1975, with characters that felt like real people. And, though the book is a little on the long side, it didn’t feel like it dragged on, and there weren’t any parts I feel should have been cut out.
As for what didn’t work, honestly, I was getting a little confused with the back-and-forth aspect of the perspective. The disorientation from jumping from character to character, from specific months in the ’60s to other specific months in the ’70s, was a little hard to keep up with. Part of my issue could have been because I mostly listened to the audiobook, and maybe having a visual would have helped me retain the time better.
This could have also just been part of how Moore wanted the story to be received, of course.
Book Club Questions:
Below are some questions to discuss with your book club after you finish God of the Woods. I’ve included my own answers, which I’ve tried to not make too spoiler-y. You can, of course, also skip them if you haven’t read the book and want to go in with fresh eyes.
How realistic did you think the portrayal of the Van Laars were?
My answer: They felt a little cartoonishly terrible at times, especially towards the end, and, at risk of sounding a little callous, Alice has to be the most useless character to ever be conceived. She really irked my soul at times.
On the other hand, I feel like everyone has a (negative) opinion of rich people these days, from orcas to whomever’s writing shows like The White Lotus, so maybe they are really just that trash and I am a sweet summer child.
When you first started reading, who or what did you think was the God of the Woods?
My answer: I thought it was either the serial killer that gets mentioned early on, or some comment on how unforgiving nature can be if you’re not prepared.
As you were reading, what did you think happened to Barbara? What did you think happened to Bear?
My answer: I thought the serial killer had gotten Bear, and that something had happened to Barbara because she wanted to look for him to get closure for her mother.
What did you think of Judy the investigator?
My answer: I like Judy’s characterization, and how she oriented herself in her new position felt authentic.
Though I have a couple critiques for Liz Moore’s God of the Woods, I can still see how it’s made its way on to different book club lists this summer. It has all the intrigue of a great mystery, with thoughtfulness and attention to detail that makes you feel transported to the ’70s. It’s definitely a must read of the summer.
