I noticed Liz Moore's The God of the Woods (2024) as it had been on the New York Times bestseller list for many months and was in the mood for a mystery thriller.
Told in alternating narratives and timelines, the story unfolds. Back in the 1950s we meet Alice, mother of Barbara and Bear. In 1961 volunteer firefighter Carl leads a search team looking for Bear. In 1975 camper Tracy is in awe of her bunkmate and navigating the first feelings of a crush. Also in 1975 Judy, the young police investigator, is working the case.
The Van Laars are a wealthy family who throw an annual party at Self Reliance, their home in the Van Laar Preserve. This is a weekend of alcohol-fuelled games for the Van Laar's glamorous guests. Barbara does not fit in here. She is rebellious, into punk rock, and knows little is expected of her as a girl in a patriarchal family. Her mother, Alice, doesn't fit in either. She is anxious and drinks too much to quell her nerves.
The God of the Woods is a page-turning mystery, with its twists and turns, but it is so much more than that. There is a story here about class - the haves and have nots - as evidenced by the Van Laars and their guests contrasting with the blue-collar workers on the Preserve. There is also a subtext of gender and societal expectations of girls and women. Moore has created characters who grow on the reader - TJ, Louise, Judyta - as the story unfurls. Plus, Moore has so clearly portrayed the setting of Camp Emerson, that readers who have spent time at a sleep-away camp will be gripped by nostalgia for campfires and mess halls.
I really enjoyed this novel and the ways in which Moore built the suspense. I was also satisfied by the ending, though I can understand why some readers may want a different outcome. While reading I also listened to the audiobook expertly narrated by Saskia Maarlevald. Overall, a terrific read. I hope that Moore writes another novel feature investigator Judyta Luptack, a wonderful character who deserves a series of her own.