A review by choufleur
The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I enjoyed this book! For some reason (the title guess) I thought it was going to have supernatural elements, but it did not, it was a literary fiction/mystery set in the real world. Reminded me a lot of what it felt like to read The Secret History, in terms of the matter of fact writing style, nonlinear narrative think?), suspense/tension, and the contrast between the lives and attitudes of the rich "elite" vs. the rest of us lol. It started out pretty slow but read the final 60% of the book in one day, almost in one sitting, very gripping. 

I really enjoyed the characters of Barbara, Judyta, TJ, Louise, Carl Stoddard, and Delphine & Vic (the 2 only ones in this list who is not a POV character). think the voices could have been a bit more distinct though. One thing that was also done really well was portraying the casual but chling misogyny some women were facing in their relationships, particularly from rich men who considered themselves in a position of power & more educated, etc. 

Many people complain about the numerous POVS, and agree there are a lot and its a bit confusing at first, but think it was well done and worked out in the end. I also found the ending really satisfying, though it was a bit of a stretch/required suspension of disbelief, but that's what fiction is for guess. I personally felt very satisfied. 

Anyway, great book, highly recommend if you want a disappearance mystery set in a forest summer camp. 4 stars because it started out slow and because it didn't change my life but a very well crafted story. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings