The God of the Woods | Liz Moore

I waited more than six months to get this book from my library, so I had a good idea that it was popular, at the very least. To be honest, I didn't even know what it was about. Several people had recommended it so I just reserved it. And I'm glad I did.

The book is, at heart, a mystery. But it's more than just a mystery like "who dunnit." It probes deeply into the relationships of everyone involved in the story. And there are many people involved -- family and non-family, rich and poor, privileged and not., old and young The depth of information about the individuals and the relationships between them are what makes the book really interesting. Even the landscape plays a role--thick, impenetrable forest that can conceal many things.

Briefly, it's set at a summer camp that's owned and operated by a wealthy family , the Van Laars, in upstate New York. The family has a home (one of several) adjacent to the property, and the employees of the camp and at the house are locals. Everyone knows everyone else. In 1975, the daughter of the family, Barbara, attends the camp. The daughter is presented as being difficult. The daughter stretches the rules and one night disappears. Nothing terribly surprising about a rebellious teen slipping away, except that her older brother Bear had, 14 years earlier, disappeared in these same woods 14 years ago and the body was never recovered. Locals and the family see, or try not to see, parallels between the two children.

I read a fair number of mysteries and most of the time I can tell who did it. With the deep character development in this book, and the intricacies of the relationships, I was kept guessing between 2-3 possibilities right up until the end. I've heard from reliable sources that it's great as an audiobook, if that's your jam. Read on!