Scary things happen at camp!
The God of the Woods: A Mesmerizing Mystery by Liz Moore
I love a good mystery, so when my gifted subscription to Book of the Month Club promoted The God of the Woods by Liz Moore in July of 2024, I decided to give it a try. So glad I did! This is a whodunit well worth your time.
What was your summer camp like?
Many, many years ago, I went to summer church camp. All my memories of that experience are warm and wonderful. We did crafts and swam in the pool. Giggling and thirsty, we'd arrive in hoards at the concession stand, digging out our quarters to pay for the concoction we called "suicide," a mix of every soft drink they had on tap. Before meals in the dining hall, we'd sing songs, do skits, and get announcements. Every evening there would be a service in an outdoor amphitheater, complete with a roaring campfire and sing-alongs. I loved everything about Camp Rivervale more than half a century ago!
My experience was NOTHING like the experiences of kids attending the camp depicted in The God of the Woods.
The Van Laars are an ultra-wealthy family that has been running Camp Emerson, a high-end camp for rich kids, on their large expanse of land for decades. Located in the Adirondacks, Camp Emerson includes a big lake, miles of beach, and dense woods. Hiking, canoeing, and swimming are all accepted camp activities. The camp focuses on survival skills, and the attendees include kids between the ages of eight and sixteen.
None of the kids in attendance seemed to enjoy camp as much as I did, and none of them had the same innocent approach to camp life that I did. Much more nefarious things were happening at Camp Emerson than buying a soft drink called "Suicide!"
Characters of the camp
The Van Laars, wealthy though they are, are not a happy couple. From its beginning, the marriage is not mutually satisfying, and the relationship is only made worse when their beloved first son, "Bear," disappears and is never found.
The Van Laar's social circle includes Alice's widowed sister, the McLellands, their long-term attorney's family, along with John-Paul, the privileged McLelland heir.
The long-time camp director, Vic Hewitt, has turned his position over to his daughter, T.J. Hewitt, who has spent her entire life at the camp. T.J. (Tessie Jo) is a master survivalist and natural leader.
One of the camp counselors, Louise, has a tenuous relationship with John-Paul McLelland and a troubled history with the townspeople because of her mother. Annabelle, a counselor-in-training, is not where she's supposed to be, and one of the campers, Tracy, is a neglected, social misfit.
.
A good-looking camp cook is a musician who strums his guitar and sings to dreamy young girls.
The local community is the total opposite of the elite social set that frequents the Van Laars' home. The townspeople are working folk, many employed by the Van Laars. There's a Sheriff, groundskeepers, local families, and the man convicted of serial murders in the past.
Everyone is suspect.
The tension builds
Ten years after Bear's disappearance, the Van Laar's second child, a daughter named Barbara, decides to attend the camp. By the end of the session, Barbara has gone missing, and all the secrets of the past come to a boil as the search for the missing girl kicks into high gear.
Judyta Luptack is an investigator called in to help find Barbara Van Laar. In spite of the fact that she's great at her job, Judyta's not taken seriously because she's young and female.
The action builds as layer upon layer of information is uncovered leading to unexpected twists and a surprise ending.
Praise for The God of the Woods
This book has gotten rave reviews. The God of the Woods is one of the New York Times' notable books of 2024, the NYT's best thriller and crime novel of 2024, People's Number 1 book of the year, one of NPR's "Books WE Love," and the "Best Book of the Year by Real Simple, Oprah Daily, Newsweek, and Vulture.
Word of warning about how to read this novel
The God of the Woods is written in three different timelines. First, there's the timeline from the 1960s which builds on Alice Van Laar's story. A second timeline is from the time of Bear's disappearance and traces the events before and after. A third timeline is a day-by-day account of activities after Barbara vanishes.
Pay attention to the timeline and the character's name at the beginning of each chapter to place the events, the people, and the plotline firmly in your mind.
Then sit down and enjoy a wild ride with The God of the Woods!
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