I just had to share one of my favorite books of the summer: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore! It’s a historical mystery set in the 1970s at a summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains. I couldn’t put it down, and it would make a perfect mystery book club pick – especially for summer or early fall! Below, I’m sharing my thoughts on the novel, a character list, and book club questions for The God of the Woods!
What is The God of the Woods about?
The bestselling author of Long Bright River is back with a new historical mystery novel, with layers of family drama woven in.
It’s about a teenage girl who goes missing at summer camp in 1975 – the daughter of the camp’s owner, in fact. Tensions flare between the rich family that owns the camp – the Van Laars – and the blue collar community that serves them.
Even stranger, this isn’t the first time one of the Van Laar children has gone missing. The girl’s older brother disappeared sixteen years ago, when he was a young boy.
Is it a pattern, or mere coincidence? And who’s to blame?
Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction
Publication date: July 2nd, 2024
My Thoughts
This engrossing story is the perfect blend of emotional character study and twisty mystery plot, with plenty of tension. It features dual timelines, multiple POVs, and complex characters, with two intertwined mysteries at its core.
While it’s somewhat more literary in nature than some mysteries, it was still such a page-turner. I could not stop reading!
I loved the summer camp setting in the remote Adirondack mountain area. It made this novel feel even more perfect for summer reading (but you can definitely enjoy it anytime!).
I also really enjoyed how each character’s point of view added another layer to the story, from a young teen experiencing her first time at summer camp to the mother of the two kids who went missing years apart.
This book was a solid 5-star read for me – one of my absolute favorite books of the year! I recommend it to everyone. It would make for a great book club discussion, too, with themes ranging from coming-of-age, class, and the complexity of family.
(This is on my list of the best seasonal summer book club books and the best book club books of 2024!)
The God of the Woods Character List
There are a lot of characters in this novel! Here are the main ones to keep track of:
Bear Van Laar: a young boy who goes missing
Barbara Van Laar: a 13-year old girl who goes missing from Camp Emerson, child of the owners of the camp
Alice Van Laar: Bear and Barbara’s mother, married into the family that owns Camp Emerson (the Van Laars)
Peter Van Laar (III): Father of Barbara and Bear, husband of Alice
Tracy Jewell: a young teen girl at Camp Emerson (Barbara’s friend & bunkmate)
Louise Donnadieu: the head counselor at Camp Emerson, a local townie who was engaged to John Paul McLellan (a family friend of the Van Laars)
Vic Hewitt: worked for the Van Laars as the former groundskeeper of Camp Emerson, father of T.J. Hewitt
Tessie Jo Hewitt (aka T.J.): current director of Camp Emerson, Vic’s daughter, grew up with Bear and Barbara
Judyta Luptack (aka Judy): a young female detective who is assigned Barbara’s missing person case
Jacob Sluitter: a killer who escapes from prison near Camp Emerson
Carl Stoddard: a man who worked for the Van Laars & knew Bear before he went missing
The God of the Woods Book Club Questions
Not only is this novel unputdownable, but it’s also ripe for discussion! Here are some book club questions for discussing The God of the Woods:
- Which character did you connect with most? Why?
- Which character did you dislike the most? In your opinion, did they redeem themselves at all throughout the story, or no?
- How do you think Bear’s disappearance affected each member of the Van Laar family?
- What did you think about Barbara’s character? Did you understand why she made certain decisions? What about her mother, Alice?
- Why do you think Barbara and Alice’s relationship was the way it was?
- How would you describe Tracy and Barbara’s friendship?
- Have you ever been to summer camp? Where? What was your experience like?
- Why do you think the story was set during the 1970s? What do you think the historical time period added to the story overall?
- What do you think this story was trying to say about social status, class, and family?
- Were you surprised by the story’s ending? Why or why not?
- What were your overall thoughts on this book? What would you rate it (out of 5 stars)? Would you recommend it to a friend?
- Which format did you read this book: in print/e-book or did you listen to the audiobook? Would you recommend it in that format?
- Did this novel remind you of any other books you’ve read?
- Have you read any other books by this author (Long Bright River, etc.)? What did you think?
I hope you enjoyed The God of the Woods as much as I did! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. 🙂