The God of the Woods

A Novel

By: Liz Moore

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

"Riveting from page one to the last breathless word."—Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You

“Brilliant, riveting .. an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide...I loved this book.”—Miranda Cowley Heller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites listeners into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains a map from the book.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Liz Moore (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"An immersive reading experience that will draw audiences. Its explorations of class, crime, and family dynamics, in addition to Moore’s incredible storytelling, will appeal to readers of Lisa Jewell, Tana French, and Lucy Foley."—Library Journal, STARRED review

"Rich in background detail and secondary mysteries. . .this ever-expansive, intricate, emotionally engaging novel never seems overplotted. Every piece falls skillfully into place and every character, major and minor, leaves an imprint."—Kirkus, STARRED review

“Gripping and revelatory...The beautiful and dangerous wilderness setting enhances the suspense as the narrative builds to a dramatic final act...This astonishes.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

Great story, listened in 3 days

This was a great story. Loved the arch and flow. Narration was amazing. A lot of characters and I admit I got lost and had to back track a few times, but that is more due to having distractions from my two children at home during summer break. I highly recommend. Some interesting twists to the plot. Would make a good movie.

Well-written and compelling

A great read for the summer, but goes deeper with some interesting character development and social commentary. Love the summer camp angle and the setting of the woods.

Truly a dynamically captivating mystery novel

Wow I had such a wonderful time reading The God of the Woods. Each character I felt personally drawn to and all the intertwined social dynamics. The book will keep you guessing until the end and it was so well written, unlike other mystery novels. I highly recommend this book.

Compelling Story

I really enjoyed God of the Woods and it kept me guessing. It is a literary suspense novel told from varying perspectives.

If you’ve been a camper to a sleepaway camp, it may resonate even more for you.

I thought the narrator did an excellent job portraying a range of voices and characters from children to elderly.

The storyline moved back-and-forth in time and place. I particularly liked the scenes during camp and those with the investigator Judyta.

Overall a really compelling story with a great narration.

Recommended if you like mysteries that keep you guessing!

It's not quite what I expected, but found myself very much enjoying the compelling story and it's mysteries!

Complicated story with not enough emotional payoff

There were about 6 more central characters than needed to tell the story. The complexity made it a bit hard to follow and get totally immersed in, and as a result, the feeling and emotional impact were diminished. I was hoping for a simple but impactful structure more like The Unseen World or Long Bright River. I really wanted to love this book, but the story was not very original, and there were too many characters who were half developed. In this particular case, the author’s use of multiple narrators in different times made me less invested in any of them. In my opinion, this particular narrative structure is not the author’s strong suit. Less is more.

Excellent Story

Loved this book! I felt like I knew every character, and appreciated that I couldn't guess the ending (because I usually can!). The writing style is very unique, and things never progress like you think they will. No lulls or slow spots, and a remarkable ending. The narrator also did a good job... no over-acting or crazy voices.

Excellent

Could not put it down. Very engaging well written and perfectly narrated escape! So good!

wow!!

first book that I have listened to and have ever actually reviewed. wow! just wow. my favorite narrator however the story the life between 40s and 70s and station in life. incredible! “and suddenly she had no words”

Wonderful narration of an engrossing story.

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Adirondack Mountains through the pitch perfect narration of an engrossing mystery.